


Danger Zone

by Macx



Series: The Maelstrom Crossovers [5]
Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-14
Updated: 2011-07-14
Packaged: 2017-10-21 09:26:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/223665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macx/pseuds/Macx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It shouldn't be normal to end up in another dimension. Nor should you be so accepting of suddenly being human. But then Optimus Prime ends up facing someone who has died in his world, and she is everything he has missed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Danger Zone

A cold wind whipped over the island of Ardico and dark clouds rolled through the lead colored sky. Dead leaves and dust were carried with the wind, settling on the blackened ground. Once there had been a defense tower standing in this place, now there was only a black crater of burned stone and sand. Nothing had been left standing when the Tji had struck, incinerating the tower and everything in a radius of ten meters. Further away from the crater sat something looking like a smaller clone of Scorponok, missing several features of the original, though. It looked like it had settled down for a permanent stay, tunnels and thick cables running from the small fortress to the only complex left unscathed by the attack. It was a research lab, manned by Autobot scientists -- or rather it had been a lab. Now it was occupied by the Tji.  
Ardico was an impressive sight with its high cliffs, the waves crushing against them, white foam rushing upwards, just to crash into the sea again. It lay not far away from the main land, but no one ever really came here. The planet was mainly uninhabited and those who lived here were inferior civilizations, just on the brink of discovering how to walk upright. The researchers had been left alone to go after their own work, which was mainly development of new weapons. That had been why the Tji had attacked and then declared the lab as their base.  
"All clear," the dark-haired man in the tight encounter suit said and nodded at his companion.  
The black bird lifted off into the stormy night and let itself get carried by the strong winds, now and then adjusting its flight trajectory. Finally it went down toward the ground and settled on a dead tree. Four figures huddled on the ground, trying to shield themselves from the rough wind as best as possible.  
"All clear," the bird said with a female voice.  
One of the huddled figures, a blond man in a dark blue environmental suit, nodded at the others. "Everyone knows what to do. Make it quick and don't stop for anything."  
They all nodded and split up, each pair took off into another direction while the bird flew back. She landed near the watcher, who was still keeping an eye on the complex.  
"They are off."  
He sheathed the binoculars and nodded. "Then let's go as well."

*

They walked until they reached the part of the way sloping slightly back to the inner island and the spot of the bombing. When they reached the blackened crater in the ground the female part of the team whistled slightly. The crater was large, and with the black circle of burned rock and weed around it, it appeared even larger, nearly as large as the diameter of the island at this point. Nothing had been left standing, except for a lonely wall, which was badly scorched and had apparently been the outer wall of a building. The tower had been completely obliterated.  
"They took no chances," her partner said softly. "Probably high energy discharge bomb. Obliterates everything completely."  
She nodded. "It took out the tower but left the lab intact."  
The man looked up and shielded his eyes against the wind. "Anything on your radar, MJ?"  
MJ, normally known as Melissa Witwicky but generally called MJ by her friend, concentrated, then shook her head. "No robot close. And stop calling it a radar!"  
Nightmare smiled.  
Mel was a limited empath, able to pick up the emotions of robotic life, even if the robot was possessed by a Tji. It had been a revelation brought to her some months ago when she had come too close for her own comfort to a Tji warrior. And it was the only reason why she was along for this mission -- except for Nightmare's vow to keep a watchful eye on her. She would scan for Tji guards while he got the charges set and the timer going.  
"Wait here," he ordered and slipped away into the darkness.  
Nightmare had come along on this mission for one reason: his experiences as an assassin. As such he was used to sneaking in undetected and getting out again. The Gatekeeper had been quite surprised when Optimus had approached him about this mission, mainly because he and Optimus had never been on the best of terms because of Nightmare's past. Optimus had come to accept the former Decepticon Assassin, but it was far from what could be called a friendship. Nightmare was tolerated, but it was more than he had ever thought possible between them. Of course he had agreed to help out and when Mel had voiced her wishes to come along as well, he had managed to convince the others that if she stayed with him, she'd be save. He'd defend her to the death.  
The Gatekeeper stopped and listened closely, but all he heard was the wind. Still he stayed motionless, scanning, watching, waiting. When no Tji appeared and his instincts told him everything was clear, he continued. Nightmare carried a backpack with five charges, all timed, all set up to detonate separately. Megatron and Optimus had the second batch of charges and would rig up the lab while he was responsible for blowing up the fortress. Cyclonus kept an eye out for reinforcements, Raven his silent messenger.  
Nightmare laid the last of the charges and started to go back, taking a completely different route. He was a mere shadow in the night, thanking Ralyk for insisting that they train using their human bodies before going out on this mission.  
Mel was still where he had left her and she was startled, nearly crying out in alarm, as he appeared like a ghost -- silent and deadly. Nightmare clamped a hand over her mouth, feeling her sag with relief. When he released her, she glared at him.  
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she hissed.  
He smiled. "Better I than a Tji."  
She snorted. "All done?"  
He nodded, looking at his watch. Two minutes to spare, even. "Let's get to the meeting point."  
They were the first to arrive at the preassigned point, about one kilometer away from the base. The rather ill storm had increased again and the first drops of rain fell. Clouds raced over the night sky, here and there revealing a small, twinkling star. Mel wrapped her arms around herself, her tightly bound and braided tail whipping around her face, the first wisps of hair freed by the force of the elements.  
Megatron, Sparks huddled on his shoulder, and Optimus appeared several minutes later, closely followed by Cyclonus. Megatron took the cat down from her place and held her in one arm. Optimus nodded their success and the team turned to leave when the explosion suddenly ripped through the night. The ground shook with the incredible force set free and the night sky was lit brightly by the fires. Everyone shielded their eyes, Raven giving an annoyed squawk, and then the shockwave hit them. Mel lost her footing, as did Megatron, and the ground shook like a dog trying to get rid of its fleas. The noise of the fortress and the lab going up in flames of destruction was deafening.  
A high squealing could be heard, ripping through the night like the fire that had torn out of the targeted objects. It sounded like a cry of protest, of pain, and then the world did a merry dance. It tilted sideways, sagging, expanding, rotating. The five humans and two animals were swept away by an unnatural force, set free by the powerful charges.

* * *

Alarm klaxons went off.  
Ralyk whipped around, its seemingly endless mass curling and rolling back to the space occupied by Vector Sigma with such a speed that Alpha Trion had to get out of the way, lest he wanted to get run over by the ancient entity. He witnessed how Ralyk spread out an incredible mass of tentacles, crossing space and time in split seconds, searching.  
"What happened?" the old Autobot asked.  
\-- They moved --  
Alpha Trion sighed. Typical! Ask a simple question, get a cryptic answer!  
Ralyk stopped as it seemed to hit what it had searched for.  
"Moved where?" he asked patiently.  
\-- Dimension jump -- was the reply.  
"What?! How? How could they jump dimensions?!"  
Ralyk pondered it and then recalled all but one tentacle.  
\-- The fabric is weak between those two dimensions -- it finally said.  
\-- The explosion opened the doorway --  
\-- Intriguing --  
"And how do we get them back?"  
\-- Easily --  
Ralyk flowed along the link to its host, Sphere, and contacted her, informing her of the mishap.

* * *

The transfer was smooth and quick. If there hadn't been a short period of disorientation, no one would have felt what was going on. But as it was, Optimus Prime was thoroughly confused for several seconds, his ears ringing from the explosion of the base.  
"What have we got here?" a male voice suddenly asked and he looked around, blinking.  
Not far away from him were three men, all three looking like they weren't exactly the most trustworthy individuals around, though he had to remind himself not to judge people by their appearance.  
"Looks like a spy," one of the three said and revealed a set of very white teeth.  
The others nodded and suddenly there were weapons in their hands.  
"Well, I know what we do with spies," the second one, a burly man with a mustache said.  
"Listen...." Optimus started. "I'm not ...."  
The third, a blond, grinned. "We could sell him to Jefferson..... he looks good enough to get us some money."  
The other two laughed and one approached Optimus, weapon still drawn. Optimus didn't move, frozen into place. His mind was going through several possibilities, but he just wasn't an over thirty foot tall robot any more!  
"And I'll give you your hearts on a silver platter," a rough voice said all of a sudden.  
Two of the men whirled around and one suddenly screamed in pain. Somehow, Optimus was not the least surprised to see he had suddenly acquired a bundle of black and white fur on his leg. Those claws had to hurt! The Autobot leader used this opportunity to jump the other man, tackling him and both of them went down. But he had not thought about this man's experience with his body. Optimus had had only a few days of intense training to get used to being human; his opponent had had it all his life. Optimus was treated to a fist into the stomach. He gasped for air and rolled around, tying to get away, but the man was quicker and his foot landed square in Optimus' ribs. Someone grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up.  
"Don't damage the goods," the blond said, breathing heavily.  
There was a cry of pain and the hand let go of his hair. Optimus focused all his strength into the next move. His eyes fixed on the man beside him and he exploded into movement, his fist driving into the mid-section of the man, doubling him over. The man gave a gasp, but he wasn't downed easily. He returned the favor.  
Megatron was currently busy with the second opponent while the third was at the mercy of Sparks, who was a furious streak of black with sharp talons. Her 'victim' was already badly scratched.  
"Okay," Optimus' opponent hissed, whipping out a knife, "if you wanna play, we're gonna play!"  
The knife slashed toward him and Optimus jumped out of the way, barely able to evade the sharp blade. He tripped on something and lost his balance. Optimus fell backwards, slamming hard onto an unyielding surface. Suddenly the surface tilted and he slid back. With a gasp he tried to find a hold. His hands encountered something sharp and he cried out in pain as the sharp object cut into his hand. Blood slickened his hold and he fell. Optimus hit the floor, or whatever, and was close to losing consciousness for a while, but he fought to stay out of the velvety darkness and finally he got his vision cleared.  
Optimus rolled around and winced as he tried to lever himself up with his left hand. It radiated sharp pain and he hissed, nearly collapsing again. He managed to get into a sitting position and finally discovered where he was: inside some kind of service tunnel, below a space ship. Above him were sounds of fighting, but suddenly there was nothing but silence. Optimus staggered to his feet, feeling a bit dizzy. He looked at his hand and saw a steady stream of blood running out of the deep cut. The sight made him feel even more dizzy and he had to lean against the wall of the tunnel. He shivered a bit, starting to sweat, though his lips were dry. He tried staunching the flow of blood by pressing his arm against his stomach, but the shirt he was wearing was soon soaked.  
Something loomed over him all of a sudden and a large hand reached down, plucking him off the floor. He couldn't resist and for the first time he experienced what a human had to feel when lifted by a Cybertronian. Like through a haze he saw a familiar face. Ultra Magnus. He was set down again and his knees gave way. Someone caught him and kept him from hitting the floor again.  
"Stop staring and asking dumb questions!" Megatron snarled. "He needs help!"  
Optimus looked up, his vision still hazy, but clear enough to see that Kup was present as well. Both Autobots looked indecisive, but Magnus finally called for help.  
"Are you all right?" Optimus asked, his voice weak and almost inaudible.  
Megatron seemed to have heard him though. "Yeah."  
Sparks appeared at his side, looking a bit ruffled and dirty, but otherwise fine.  
Optimus licked his lips, trying to concentrate, but he was quickly losing hold on reality. "What ... happened to ... the others?"  
"They fled when those two jerks popped up," the humanized Decepticon leader growled.  
Optimus smiled dimly, then he drifted into the awaiting blackness.

 

Megatron caught the falling body, blood smearing over his shirt as well. A stab of pain ran through him as he cushioned Optimus' fall, the pain returning in full when he saw the freely bleeding wound. He looked at the two much larger Autobots, his eyes glowing now, mostly in panic.  
"Where's this damned help of yours?! He's bleeding to death!"  
Ultra Magnus stared down at him, still indecisive as it seemed. "They are coming," he said.  
Megatron hissed something under his breath and tried to stop the blood flow. Sparks was at his side, her emerald cat eyes filled with worry.  
Suddenly a well-known ambulance appeared and transformed into First Aid. The medic took one look and went back into his car mode. "Get him in!" he ordered.  
Megatron climbed into the ambulance as well, followed by Sparks. First Aid shot away, siren screaming to make way. Ultra Magnus and Kup followed in turn.

* * *

"Oh, this is just great!" Mel muttered and looked around in disgust.  
There was nothing but the endless seeming corridor around her and from the size of it, it was built for Cybertronians. The structure as such was familiar. It looked like beneath the surface of Cybertron. She dusted off her coverall and took a quick inventory. Nothing broken, just a few bruises and a lot of confusion. One second she had been one a wind-whipped island on an alien planet, now she was .... somewhere, and she had no idea how she had arrived here!  
"Cybertron?" Nightmare muttered and stepped to her side, looking as confused as she felt.  
"You think so?"  
His mouth curled into a wry smile and she thought it made him look cute. Mel shoved the thought aside immediately. "Trust me. I lived here for some time. And when I explored those tunnels years ago, they looked a lot like these."  
"So we are back?" she wanted to know, incredulous.  
The Gatekeeper looked indecisive. "I'm not sure. This looks familiar, but somehow it's also very much different. If this were Cybertron.... I'd feel Ralyk.... or the centerway."  
Mel looked confused. "But....." Her eyes went wide all of a sudden, remembering what Shanygn had once told her about the dimension jumps. "Oh, no! Do you think we arrived in a parallel dimension?"  
He shrugged. "Possible. But which one?"  
"Shan explained to me that the fabric between Lancer's and our dimension was weakened considerably, so we might be on their Cybertron."  
Nightmare nodded slowly. "Then we need to find a way to the surface."  
Mel grinned. "Good idea. Lead the way!"  
He shot her a humorless mile and they began to walk down the corridor, Mel following him, trying to find hidden control panels and other stuff.

* * *

Optimus sat on the examination table and let the human doctor check him a last time. There was a misgiving expression on his face and Optimus imagined that the doctor was counting the multiple bruises decorating his body. Optimus felt *very* bruised and sore, but the worst was the loss of any feeling at all in his hand. The deep cut, which had severed not only skin and muscle tissue, but also sinews and had nearly nicked the bone, had been cleaned and closed with several stitches. Three injections had deadened the pain and Optimus shuddered at the thought of what might happen if the injections wore off. He clearly remembered the first wave of pain.  
"Okay, you are rather banged up but fine otherwise. Keep that hand still and don't overexert yourself," the human said and held out Optimus' sweater to him, which was still stained with his blood.  
Optimus took it and, with some difficulty, put it back on. The doctor helped him, making short work of the suddenly too tight right arm of the sweater. He cut the wrist band open to let the tightly bandaged hand through.  
"Thanks," the humanized Autobot muttered, feeling like he could sleep for a week.  
The doctor nodded and left. Optimus sighed silently and suddenly discovered Megatron, who was leaning against the door's frame. He looked tired and there was a bruise decorating his left cheek bone, but otherwise he was fine. And if Optimus wasn't completely off, Megatron looked really worried, though it was a worry he was trying to hide.  
Sparks was at his side, now bounding over to him and hopping effortlessly onto the examination table. She rubbed her head against his good arm, her eyes full of relief.  
"How long was I out?" Optimus asked calmly, smiling down at the cat and running his good hand through her soft fur.  
"Long enough for me to run out of evasive tactics," the humanized Decepticon leader told him with one of his sarcastic smiles.  
"Come again?"  
"I didn't tell them who we are."  
"Oh." Optimus raised an eyebrow. "Why?"  
Megatron's smile turned even more sarcastic. "Because no one would believe us anyway. I told him that we'd only talk to Lancer or Rodimus Prime."  
Optimus carefully slipped from the table and had to stop for a second because he felt dizzy again.  
"Are you okay?" Megatron asked, sounding as worried as he looked now.  
"Yes .... just .... dizzy." He inhaled deeply and it got a bit better. "How come they left us alone in here?"  
Megatron snorted. "Because this is a quarantine lab and probably very well secured." He glanced casually around. "And most likely rigged with surveillance." He grinned coldly.  
Optimus smiled a bit. "Great. So we just wait?"  
Megatron leaned against the monitors. Sparks walked over to him and jumped up onto the monitors, curling up.  
"Exactly."

 

Ultra Magnus watched the two strangers and the cat and wondered who they were. They were clearly no Converts and he had checked them just to be sure that his feeling hadn't lied. But who were they? The white-haired man was highly annoying and several times throughout the interview his eyes seemed to have started to glow red, though the effect had been for only a split second. Was he a mutant like Lancer? And if yes, what kind of mutant? The blond, who had been brought in unconscious and bleeding, looked rather normal. He was tall and sun-tanned, though a bit pale right now. He and the white-haired man knew each other, but Ultra Magnus didn't know them. And then there was the cat, the most unusual Earth animal he had ever seen. She kept close to the white-haired and there was a kind of silent understanding between them.  
Someone appeared noiselessly beside him and he tried not to flinch as he turned and discovered Rodimus. He hated it when the young commander crept up on him like that.  
"Oh, no!"  
"You know them, I take it?" Magnus asked almost casually.  
Rodimus sighed. "I know one of them." He shook his head. "The other one.... I can guess, but I bet I would be wrong. They are from the twin dimension, Magnus."  
Ultra Magnus sighed as well. "Again?"  
He had met the visitors only once and hadn't been around for the other times, but he had heard about it.  
"Looks like it. Neither of them told you their names?"  
"Nope. This guy insisted he'd talk only to you."  
Rodimus nodded and walked over to the door, turning off the surveillance in the process. Then he entered, trusting Ultra Magnus not to eavesdrop by turning the cameras and microphones on again.  
Megatron looked up, his mouth curling into a humorless smile, the eyes the normal, hazel color. Sparks opened one eye and her tail flicked lazily. Otherwise there was no reaction at all. Rodimus returned the smile and then looked curiously at the second visitor.  
"What happened?" he asked.  
"I wish I knew," Megatron sighed. "Something must have backfired....."  
The blond snorted and there was slight amusement in those pale, gray eyes. Rodimus curiosity was even more peaked.  
"Are we alone?" Megatron wanted to know.  
Rodimus nodded. The Decepticon shot his blond companion a glance, but the tall man simply shrugged. Sparks yawned and sat up, starting to groom herself.  
"Rodimus Prime," he then said, his voice sounding gleeful, at least a bit, "meet Optimus Prime....."  
Rodimus' mouth dropped open and he stared at the dimensional twin, the human dimensional twin, of his partner. He took in the tall, muscular frame, the blond hair and gray eyes. His eyes rested on the thickly bandaged hand and he became aware of the fact that he was still staring at Optimus with his mouth open.  
"Uh," he managed.  
Optimus smiled and it was rather a shock to see him do it. In his robot mode he didn't have a visible mouth!  
"We were on a mission against the Tji when something backfired," Optimus explained calmly. "I suspect the explosion charges sent us here."  
"Uhm, explosives?"  
"Long story......"  
"I see." Rodimus got his confusion and surprise under control. "Why didn't you tell the others who you are?"  
"Because they might have thrown us into a cell and forgotten to tell you," Megatron said sarcastically, voice cold. "We are both human, claiming to be someone else. And I, for my part, don't exist here -- but the ill feelings still exist." He raised one dark eyebrow.  
"I understand," Rodimus muttered. "But I think it's save to tell the others now. Kup was ranting on about security anyway. And Optimus, my Optimus, knows you."  
Megatron snorted, but didn't say a word on that. Suddenly Rodimus felt Lancer's call inside his head.  
"Uh, how many of you were there?" he asked carefully.  
"Six," Optimus answered, looking alarmed. "Why?"  
"Did you take a dark looking guy with a bird on his shoulder along?"  
The two humanized Cybertronians exchanged very alarmed looks.  
"Cyclonus!" Megatron hissed.  
"And Raven," Optimus added.  
Rodimus shook his head in disbelief once more and contacted his life partner, who had stumbled over the strange duo.  
"Lancer will get them here," he then said. "And the bird just talked...."  
Megatron muttered something he didn't catch but which Optimus had apparently heard because a tiny smile flew over his lips. Sparks shook her head and shot him a disgusted look. Rodimus somehow knew he didn't want to know what had just been said.  
"Let's get somewhere more hospitable," the young commander decided and gestured at the two humans to exit first.

* * *

They arrived in another, Transformer sized room, which proved be yet another dead end. Mel gave a growl of frustration.  
"Not again!"  
She and Nightmare had been down here for she didn't know how long, running this maze like mice. They had climbed to another level, had found many dead ends and a lot of empty rooms, which had been labs or quarters or whatever in the past. Now they were just empty. This room they were now in had some leftover furniture and assorted broken stuff lying on the floor.  
Nightmare sighed as well. "Maybe we should take this as a place to catch our breath," he said calmly. "I, for my part, am not used to a body tiring so quickly."  
Mel caught herself thinking something other than the very normal and she got her braincell out of the gutter. They settled down, resting, Mel closing her eyes and tilting her head back to rest against the cool metal wall. A few minutes later she was deeply asleep.

* * *

Optimus Prime stared at his human counterpart and couldn't say whether he was shocked or amused by the tall, blond man with the lively gray eyes. He had never pictured himself as a human and how he might end up looking. Somewhere he had thought he might be dark-haired, not blond, but that was just a fleeting thought. Rodimus grinned irrepressibly, standing behind the three visitors -- well, five, if you counted the bird, who sat silently on Cyclonus shoulder and the cat at Megatron's side. Cyclonus was another matter. He stood out because of his rather slender form, the bronze colored skin and the long jet-black hair, which was bound back into a short pony tail. He had high cheek bones and intense dark eyes. His whole manner of moving was that of a cat. Raven sat on his shoulder, adding to the otherworldliness of his looks, her yellow eyes glowing slightly.  
Lancer had found Cyclonus outside the space port, thoroughly confused by what had happened, but not confused enough not to try and take her out and flee. Raven had been the one to recognize the blonde woman and to stop the fight, which might have started otherwise. Now they were all here.  
"This is getting to be a regular occasion," Optimus Prime now remarked and smiled down at the visitors.  
His counterpart grimaced a bit and Optimus was once again surprised to see so much expression on his face. This was really him?  
"What happened this time?" Lancer wanted to know, amusement clear in her eyes.  
The three men, one bird and one cat exchanged looks. Cyclonus looked neutral, Megatron wary and Optimus indecisive. Raven was unreadable, as was Sparks.  
"It's a long story," Optimus finally said, "starting with a Tji attack on a research lab and the following possession of not only the crew, but also every other civilian there was. When we heard about it, we decided we couldn't let them keep that lab and turn it into their base, which they were planning to do. So we set out to sabotage it."  
Lancer raised a surprised eyebrow.  
"The idea was to sneak in, set the charges, and get out again," Optimus went on. "As robots we were too obvious around the island and the approach would have been noticed by the Tji. The result would have been the capture of the sabotage team and their possession. We also couldn't let any of the Interface partners go out and do it because the death of a human partner has catastrophic effects on the robot." A dark shadow passed over his features as if he was remembering something terrible. "So we took the next best step: get turned human ourselves."  
Optimus stared at his blond twin. "You did it voluntarily?!" he exclaimed.  
Megatron smiled coldly. "As voluntarily as it can be."  
Rodimus only shook his head. "How?" he then asked. "Using the machine Draft built?"  
"No. These bodies are our own," the humanized Optimus explained. "Not synthoid material. All of us on the team, except for Megatron, were turned human through Ralyk. Somehow the entity can warp our molecules and reshape them, though it takes some time. We didn't feel it, though," he added at his twin's incredulous look.  
"Except you?" Lancer turned to Megatron.  
The Decepticon leader smiled humorlessly. "Messed up molecular structure," he quoted what Sparks had once said.  
Lancer chuckled a bit and Sparks' eyes glowed with amusement.  
"So this sabotage act somehow backfired," Rodimus mused out aloud, "and you landed here."  
Optimus nodded. "They went off all right, but we were caught in the shockwave of the exploding fortress beside the lab." Suddenly he looked worried. "Mel and Nightmare...."  
"They came along as well?" Rodimus asked in disbelief.  
Optimus only nodded. "If they didn't pop up here, I hope they are all right....."  
"If they popped up here, there's no guarantee that we can find them right away," Rodimus said thoughtfully. "You were discovered by chance because you ran into the smugglers, and Cyclonus ran into Lancer....."  
The human Autobot leader nodded. "Is there any way to search for them?"  
"Give me their descriptions and I'll tell the others to keep an eye open for them," his dimensional twin said and Optimus nodded.  
"The next question is: how do you get back?" Rodimus said.  
Raven ruffled her feathers. "The dimensions are linked," she said, "and the barriers are no longer very strong. If we can find a weak spot, I think I can get through to Ralyk if you lend me some of your energy, Lancer."  
Lancer nodded. She knew that a tight beam of energy could burst through barriers.  
"We could try the same spot we used last time," Megatron mused out aloud.  
"If it hasn't closed again," Rodimus muttered. "The 'last time' was half a year ago."  
"We'll try it," Raven decided.  
Optimus decided that he might want to stay at the complex to give his body some time to rest and Megatron, much to everyone's surprise, stayed as well. Cyclonus, who hadn't spoken a word, followed Lancer, Raven on his shoulder. Optimus Prime walked off to inform the others to look for Mel and Nightmare, which left Rodimus with the two visitors, of which one looked like he needed some sleep.  
"I'll better get you some quarters," the young commander said and they followed him.

* * *

Optimus had been unable to get some rest. The half hour he had spent dozing on the bed hadn't been enough to really refresh him, but he just couldn't stay here any longer. He got up, trying to ignore the pain in his arm, dressed in clean clothes he had been supplied with, and walked out into the corridor. There weren't many people around and he passed as a normal human anyway, even with his bandaged arm. Remembering the way from the walk to the quarters, he retraced his steps to the elevators and rode to the upper levels, which was where a look-out point had been built. Optimus was curious, to say the least, about this Cybertron and he wanted to take a closer look. The elevator stopped and he walked out, finding himself in a large room with a panorama dome. There were humans and Autobots up here, though it was far from crowded. He recognized all the Autobots and had to hold on to himself not to address one or the other.  
The view was as spectacular as it was new. The Cybertron below him was not the one he knew. There were different buildings, different highways, railway systems, water channels. The basic structure was the same, but the rest..... His eyes were drawn to the sky and he searched for a trace of a moon base, but there was none. Either they had lost both moon bases as well and had never rebuilt them, or the moon had not yet risen.  
"Impressive, isn't it?"  
Optimus didn't turn as he heard the voice, he simply smiled. "Yes," he then said. "It is. And different."  
Megatron nodded. "Very different."  
Suddenly Optimus heard laughter, soft laughter, familiar laughter, and whirled around. He paled dramatically as he discovered the tall female Autobot walking around the elevator column, which was right in the middle of the look-out platform. She was accompanied by another female, which he knew as well, but which also wasn't the one responsible for the deep shock running through him. He stumbled back against the handrail separating the human-sized viewers from the windows.  
Megatron looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"  
Optimus still stared at the strange, yet also so familiar female Autobot. She had changed. Her color was no longer the soft pink, it was dark blue, and her head and body had undergone reconstruction as well, ridding her of several features, except her face. That beautiful, familiar face ......  
"Elita," he whispered, his voice filled with old, suddenly remembered pain.  
Megatron looked at the two females and frowned. He knew Elita One, though he had met her only a few times throughout the war -- as an enemy. He knew she had been killed by Decepticons, the renegades still hiding beneath the surface, and that Optimus was still suffering her loss. Now he saw her dimensional twin..... The Decepticon leader cursed softly.  
"I need to get out of here," Optimus muttered and quickly strode over to the elevators.  
Megatron hesitated, then followed him. Something told him he shouldn't leave Optimus alone right now, whatever the Autobot leader said.

* * *

Nightmare jumped out of the way of the laser blast and rolled around, wishing he had a weapon to use, but as a human he couldn't call upon subspace for a gun or activate hidden weaponry. All the charges had been used in the sabotage and he was completely unarmed. Mel gave a cry of alarm as a blast came to close to her and he whirled around, worry swamping over him. He saw the young woman take cover behind some crates, which were then pounded by volley after volley. Nightmare felt a cold feeling come over him as he took in the situation. They had run into the security measures after rounding a corner. An impenetrable wall had slammed down behind them and lasers mounted on the wall were now making their life quite hard. Nightmare was as agile in this human body as in his natural form, thanks to the training sessions, and it was easy for him to jump out of the way, mainly because the lasers had been built to target large, moving targets, not small, moving ones. But Mel was not a warrior. She was athletic, granted, she was powerful, but she had never been trained as an assassin.  
Nightmare rolled around again and made a dive for a piece of metal splintered off a crate. The lasers came very close to him, but Nightmare was a blur of movement as he turned around and threw the piece of metal. The dagger like piece slammed into the motion and infrared sensor. The lasers whirred for a few more seconds, then stopped, unable to find a target.  
"Mel?"  
Nightmare ran over to the severely dented and blasted crate. Mel cowered behind it, looking a bit worth for wear, but she wasn't hurt. He helped her up and she dusted herself off.  
"All right?" he asked.  
She nodded, shoving her hair out of her face. "You?"  
He nodded as well. "Let's get out of here."  
Mel looked back at the closed off section of the corridor. "And there is only one way," she sighed.  
"Further down the corridor," he agreed.  
They walked past the now silent lasers, both looking warily and suspiciously at the defenses. Nothing happened. At least not from the direction of the lasers. Neither Mel nor Nightmare saw the small holes slide open. Nightmare suddenly thought he felt a slight breeze of air -- compressed air. He looked around in alarm and discovered the holes.  
"Down!" he yelled the very moment the hissing noise could be heard.  
Mel was thrown to the floor by his push and for a second she was confused. Something hit the wall opposite with a soft, popping noise, then everything was quiet. Mel dared to look up again and discovered an assortment of spear sticking out of the wall.  
"Geez!" she muttered and turned to Nightmare, freezing as she saw him. "Nightmare!"  
The human Gatekeeper was leaning heavily against the wall, his face covered with sweat and drawn in pain. Out of his left thigh stuck a spear.  
"No!" Mel protested and ran over to him, helping him sit down.  
Nightmare gasped in pain, screwing his eyes shut. His breathing had quickened. Mel checked the wound and winced. It was deep, but it didn't go through. Mel wondered if she could pull the spear, then decided against it. Her first aid training told her not to. If an artery had been hit, the blood would flow freely.  
"Breathe slowly," she said, carefully examining the gruesome wound.  
He opened his eyes and she was struck by their vulnerability. Nightmare wasn't used to these massive sensations of agony and he was confused and in incredible pain.  
"I can't take it out without the danger of you bleeding to death," she explained, feeling utterly helpless.  
"I understand," he whispered, voice rough and dry.  
Mel touched his cheek in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "I'll get help for you," she promised.  
"No!" he protested weakly. "There could be more traps...."  
She nodded. "I'm aware of that, but you need help!"  
Nightmare shook his head. "I can...." He groaned in pain as he moved his leg.  
"You can't!" she said forcefully. "Stay here, please! I'll get help, I promise!"  
He shook his head in desperation. "No, MJ, no! The traps!"  
"I can take care of myself," Mel told him gently. "You stay here, don't move and try to stay awake. I will be back with help."  
Nightmare's face was a mask of pure anguish now. "No...."  
She rose and turned, unable to look into those eyes any longer. Mel walked away, feeling tears rise as she heard him calling her name, but she continued, determined to find a way to the surface and help.

* * *

Sparks had decided that she could leave Megatron out of her sight for a few hours and explore this strange, yet familiar place. As far as she had understood Megatron, he would do the same, but he was more for having an overall look around while Sparks felt that she should explore the details. No one got in her way as she casually sneaked around the complex, looking into the labs, quarters and everything else. Being a small, black cat had its advantages. Large robots ignored her because she was so small and humans tended to give her one look, maybe pet her, then leave for work. Sparks wondered why no one asked where this cat had come from, but then again: why bother? She could roam around freely and that was what counted. Currently she had set up her observation point in a lab, which she had entered together with Perceptor, who had completely ignored or not even noticed her. She had jumped onto a monitor station and gave the room a closer eye. It looked very much like the lab she had spent some time in to get her transformation circuits, which, to be completely honest, she didn't use that often. She loved her cat form and it was far more agile than her bipedal mode, even though she was extremely agile still.  
"What are you doing here, kitty?" someone suddenly asked and she looked down, straight at a human woman, who looked back curiously. "Perceptor, since when do we have a cat in here?" the woman turned to the Autobot scientist.  
"We don't have cats, KC," Perceptor replied absent-mindedly.  
"We do now."  
Perceptor looked up from his work and his optics narrowed on Sparks, who gave him her cat-stare. "How did it get in here?" he finally asked, slightly perplexed.  
"That's what I'd like to know," KC answered.  
"I used a door," Sparks said pleasantly.  
"What?!"  
"The big thingy you can open by pushing buttons?" Sparks clarified, raising her brows.  
"It talks!" KC exclaimed.  
Sparks rolled her eyes. "'It' is called 'Sparks'," she told the perplexed woman, "and I'm a she. At least last time I looked." She smiled.  
KC opened her mouth and closed it again. "How .... who .... I mean, what the hell is going on here?"  
"Intriguing," Perceptor muttered and inpected the small, furry creature.  
Sparks gave him an annoyed look. "No poking, no prodding, no sharp instruments anywhere near me and my fur stays where it is right now. I'm rather attached to it."  
Perceptor blinked. "I wasn't...."  
"Sez you," the cat muttered.  
"Where do you come from?" KC finally managed.  
"Another dimension where I'm normally a cat robot and the personal pest of my .....'owner'." Sparks managed to put enough disgust into her voice to let the two know what she thought of the word 'owner'.  
"You are one of the visitors?" Perceptor echoed.  
"Yep."  
"I see. And your natural form is that of a animal Transformer."  
"Nope. My body is that of a pet, but Ralyk has a weird sense of humor and gave it my personality. Can be quite annoying most of the time."  
Perceptor looked fascinated, leaning forward.  
"Uh-uh-uh!" Sparks immediately made. "No poking!"  
KC giggled. "Do the others know you are here?" she then asked.  
Sparks shrugged. "We can walk around as long as we keep on the premises," she said. "And this lab is the premises, right?"  
"But also with restricted access," Perceptor explained loftily.  
Sparks gave him a lofty look of her own, which had KC breaking out in more giggles.  
"But this isn't such an interesting place anyway," the cat went on and jumped off the monitors, walking gracefully over to the doors. "See you at a later time, maybe." She looked at the large door, then at the lock. "Is the exit as restricted as the access?"  
Perceptor walked over with an air of indignity and opened the door. KC lost it completely and had to hold on to a support, laughing so hard.  
"Very funny, KC, really," Perceptor muttered as he went back to work.  
KC wiped tears out of her eyes. "Oh, yes," she gasped.

* * *

Cyclonus stood as still as a statue and Lancer wondered if he wasn't really a robot underneath that human exterior. He hadn't spoken a single word and had simply followed her to the correct spot where the dimensional weak spot had been last time. Raven had changed places from his shoulder to hers and was giving her directions.  
"Is he always that quiet?" Lancer asked in a low voice as they walked slowly to where there should be some trace of a doorway, if it was still active.  
Raven chuckled and Lancer felt the feathers ruffle against her neck. "Well, not always, but he is a quiet type. I guess being human got to him a bit, though he adapted faster than Megatron or Optimus ever did."  
Lancer stole a glance back at the motionless figure. Cyclonus seemed to scan their surroundings, looking alert -- and quite handsome, she had to confess.  
"He has no problem eating or anything his new body confronted him with, much to the others' frustrations." Raven chuckled again.  
Lancer grinned.  
Raven started to scan again and after another half hour sighed softly. "This is hopeless. There are echoes of a former opening, but I can't feel anything in the present."  
Lancer remembered what Sphere had said the last time. As a Key she could feel past doorways and present or soon-to-open openings.  
"Damn," the mutant cursed.  
Raven shrugged. "Now we have to find another way or we wait until Ralyk finds us."  
"Isn't it a bother to be bound so closely to this entity?" Lancer asked openly. "It reads your minds, it can change your shapes, it can trace you..... it's like complete control."  
Raven shook her head. "No, it isn't control. Ralyk is like a parent, a benign entity, and it helps us, though sometimes it won't, even if we need it to. It won't ever force its will upon us -- at least not openly. I've to confess it has manipulated us in the past, but I've yet to find a reason to despise it."  
Lancer thought she understood. "So it will search for you?"  
"It surely will." Suddenly her head came up and she gave a squawk.  
Lancer felt something tingle along her spine and she whirled around, nearly dislodging the bird on her shoulder. There was a short burst of energy, an explosion of light and two figures appeared.  
"Shanygn!" Lancer exclaimed as she recognized the first shape.  
"Rodimus Prime," Cyclonus said, appearing at her side like a silent shadow. Lancer briefly thought that he had a very pleasant voice.  
"Hi, guys," Shanygn called and smiled. "Taxi service! We're here to pick up some people!"  
Raven changed places and settled down comfortably on her partner's shoulder again. "It's about time."  
Rodimus chuckled. "I guess everyone arrived here....?"  
"Well, we found your Optimus, Megatron, Cyclonus and Raven," Lancer answered.  
An alarmed expression appeared on Rodimus' face. "No Nightmare? No Mel?"  
"Oh, no!" Raven moaned.  
"They didn't come back?" Cyclonus asked, voice brisk and cool.  
"No. Neither of you. Ralyk contacted Sphere and told her what had happened and that neither of you had died in the explosion. It would have felt something if you were dead."  
Raven nodded. "So they are here."  
"That's what Ralyk said."  
Lancer frowned. "But where?" She contacted her partner by mind link and informed him about the next batch of visitors. "Optimus will initiate a search in case they have arrived here and got lost," she then informed them, "but no one has seen them yet or we would have received news ..... I think we better get back."  
Shanygn and Rodimus nodded.

* * *

Megatron caught up with Optimus on the ground level since Optimus had managed to get to the elevator first.  
"Prime, wait!" he called.  
Optimus walked on and his whole body radiated tenseness. Megatron wondered why he was following him and answered his question right away: he was deeply worried about his friend. And this was like a revelation. He had always respected Optimus Prime as an enemy, a capable commander and someone not to be underestimated. After the alliance he had slowly grown even more respect for the Autobot leader, much more respect, since he suddenly made decision unlike his former self. The past, his deaths and resurrections, had left their traces and the war had changed him as well. Megatron had turned his view from a respected enemy to a respected ally -- and into a friend.  
Optimus stopped at the monorail crossing and Megatron finally caught up. He grabbed Optimus' arm, keeping him from entering the just arriving train, pulling him back. Optimus glared at him in anger.  
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Megatron hissed.  
"Taking a walk."  
Megatron shook his head. "I know the memories are painful, but this is another dimension! And I don't think you can just step into the next train and take a sight seeing tour around here!"  
Optimus freed his arm with one, violent move. "Leave me alone!" he snarled.  
Megatron wasn't impressed. "No."  
Optimus looked short of hitting him.  
"If I leave you alone now, you'll just act stupidly," the Decepticon leader continued coldly.  
"Who are you to judge me?!" Optimus growled, anger and rage battling inside of him.  
"A friend."  
The human Autobot stopped, opening his mouth, then closing it again. His eyes widened a bit. Finally he slumped down on one of the human sized benches, burying his head in his hands, taking care not to hurt his bandaged hand. He raked his good hand through his hair, trembling a bit.  
"You don't understand," he finally whispered. "You don't understand what it is like to see her .... alive......"  
Megatron hesitated, then sat down beside him. "Maybe not," he confessed. "But maybe I do."  
Optimus turned his head, his gray eyes looking vulnerable, but also questioning. Megatron regarded the floor for a time.  
"Against all rumors, I had serious relationships in the past," the Decepticon leader said softly. "But when the war grew darker and more violent, I severed most ties, mainly because there were Decepticons trying to usurp my position, using everything and everyone to get what they wanted: my death. I lost my closest and longest partner when such an assassination failed and, instead of me, hit her. Her name was FreeFall..... She died immediately."  
Pain laced his voice and he tried to get his control back. He had shoved those memories aside, locked them up and had hoped never to have to dig them out again, but now he had. Because he wanted to help Optimus.  
What has happened to me?  
He had never talked about it in the past before and none of his closest friends, if he could count them as such, knew it either. Now he had opened this box again and had shown the contents to someone who had been his fiercest enemy once. He trusted Optimus, shocking as it was to realize this, but it was the truth.  
"I didn't know...." Optimus began, but Megatron shook his head.  
"It happened a long time ago. I know your pain is more recent, but this Elita is not the same you know. She looks different, her story is different ... you are different."  
Optimus bit his lip, cursing this human body for its stronger emotions and sensations. He absent-mindedly rubbed his bandaged arm. "I know. I know it all, I knew it when I saw her, but it's like full broadside. I see this Elita and think of what I lost, what I can never again touch or talk to, laugh and share my dreams with." His voice faltered. "Shit!" He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. His hands had started to tremble again.  
Megatron nodded. "And my kind killed her," he said levely.  
Optimus stared at him. "This is no accusation! It wasn't you, not really. They were renegades...."  
Megatron smiled dimly. "They were Decepticons. Don't tell me you didn't feel hatred when you heard it, that you would have loved to tear us apart."  
The other one flinched a bit. "Yes," he finally whispered. "But that is gone now. What stayed is the feeling of loss."  
Megatron nodded again. "But you found someone else, Optimus. I don't want to say you have to forget Elita, but you have to get past the pain."  
It sounded mushy, Megatron thought, mainly because it came from someone who had not allowed feelings like this to rise for a long, long time.  
Optimus looked at him. "Did you?"  
The Decepticon managed to return the steady gaze for all of three seconds, then sighed. "No, but I managed not to flash back to her every time. And I found another relationship as well."  
"Sphere."  
Megatron felt a smile passing over his face at the memory of his partner. "She somehow keeps me evened out," he confessed.  
Optimus smiled as well, straightening a bit. "I noticed that. You are more even-tempered. And then there's Sparks."  
Megatron stared at him in surprise, the statement coming completely unexpected. Optimus grinned a bit.  
"Yes," he finally muttered. "But don't tell her. That cat is smug enough already."  
Optimus looked around, noting that the area had grown empty. His eyes were drawn back to the building not far away from them and he battled with his own, contradicting emotions. He didn't know if he could really face Elita, but he had to if she was still there. He sighed deeply and rose from the bench.  
"Let's go back," he decided.  
Megatron nodded and gave him a close look.  
"I'm okay," the Autobot leader muttered.  
Megatron accepted it, though he didn't believe it. Both walked silently back into the building.

* * *

Mel was dirty, tired and her body ached in every possible and impossible place. She had stopped running along corridors; she had looked for an airvent and managed to climb into it, steadily going up. She didn't know if she'd be able to find her way back to Nightmare, but her mind categorized this as unimportant right now. Her first priority was to get help and if it meant going down the airvent later on to find her way back, she'd do it. She had memorized features of the corridor and the security measures might be a hint as well, if she found someone with knowledge of this place.  
Her hands, cut by sharp metal and protruding screws and bolts, removed another grill and she climbed through the tight hole, glad she wasn't too large. And finally she stumbled free. Mel was in a hall which looked like a hangar. There were two Autobots in the hangar, one working on a shuttle. When the grill clattered to the ground, one turned, staring at her. She recognized him as Jazz.  
"I'll be...." he exclaimed. "Who the heck are you?"  
"My name's Melissa, you don't know me," Mel gasped, breathless and too tired to concentrate on much more than keeping upright. "You have to help my friend! He's trapped and hurt down in the tunnels!"  
Jazz still stared, then his optics lit up. "Melissa? One of the missing dimension travelers?"  
"How do you know?" she stuttered.  
"Optimus put a search out for you!" Jazz knelt down. "Where is your friend?"  
Mel swayed a bit and he caught her. She leaned heavily against the supporting hand. "Down in the tunnels, the maze," she whispered, then gave him an as accurate description of the place they had wandered through, mentioning the security systems and all.  
Jazz nodded. "I know that place, all right. Old training facility and long since abandoned."  
"Training?" she echoed as Jazz turned to the other Autobot.  
"Yo, Grapple, get your gears in high and contact Optimus and First Aid! We found the missing persons, at least one of them! I'm going down with the little lady here and get her friend!"  
Grapple acknowledged. Jazz lifted Mel up and walked over to an old elevator.  
"Let's get to your friend," he said and smiled encouragingly at Mel's worried expression.  
She only nodded, her mind on Nightmare.

* * *

When Lancer and Cyclonus returned to the base with Rodimus and Shanygn, they were already expected by this dimension's Rodimus and Optimus.  
"We just got a call in," Optimus said by ways of a greeting. "Your friend Mel appeared out of an airvent in the lower hangars. Jazz went back with her to get Nightmare. It looks like he is hurt."  
"Oh, no," Shanygn whispered, shaking her head. "Bad?"  
"We don't know," Rodi confessed. "First Aid went out to help, taking Dr. O'Connor along."  
Rodimus nodded. "And the others?"  
"Megatron and Sparks are fine, your Optimus got his hand cut pretty badly, but there he's not in danger," Optimus explained, noticing the alarmed look on this version of his partner. "On another topic: can you get back as easily as you came here?"  
Rodimus nodded. "With a little help from Raven, yes. Ralyk tuned the doorway on her pattern and it will only open to her."  
"Good."  
They walked into the building.  
"Looks like this time we just skidded around a real crisis," Shanygn remarked and it drew a smile from Lancer. "It looks bad, granted, but no imminent Tji attack, no possessions, no kidnappings. Sheesh! We must be doing something right for once!"  
Rodi chuckled. "Looks like it. Let's wait for First Aid to get back and see how Nightmare is doing and we might just change bad into 'a little worse than normal'."  
"Hopefully! I want to spend my visiting time here without growing gray hair from worrying!" Shanygn muttered.  
"Oh, we can always give you a few gray hairs by letting you baby-sit Edana and Alex," Lancer remarked in a low voice.  
Shanygn chuckled. "I'd prefer baby-sitting to an Interface or Tji crisis any day!"  
Optimus smiled at the remark. He left the small group alone to catch up on some work, leaving it to Rodimus and Lancer to take care of them. While Cyclonus walked off toward his quarters, Shanygn and Rodimus continued toward the med bay with their 'hosts', Lancer and Shanygn talking in low voice, grinning now and then.

* * *

Melissa sat outside in the waiting of med bay, looking around, trying to get her mind off the things probably going on in there. Not probably: most likely. She knew her own dimension's med bay and though this was very much different from the overall looks, it was still a med bay. The same equipment, except maybe for two or three things, the same labs, treatments rooms, operating theater both for humans and robots.... almost the same main personnel. She smiled wryly. This First Aid wasn't so very much different from the one she always worked with, neither was Perceptor. The human doctor who had told her to wait outside was someone else, though. She sighed. She hated waiting, especially for something like the news on someone else's condition. Someone she had strong feelings for.  
That brought her to another subject. Ever since she had seen Nightmare as a human had she had this problem and after he had been injured it had multiplied. Her body reacted with a warm and fuzzy feeling, her heart making a leap ahead and her stomach feeling like it was filled with butterflies. Her logical mind told her different things, though. Nightmare was a robot, for heaven's sake! He was ancient in her terms, he had lived longer than anyone she knew and still..... still she had fallen head over heels in love with his human form.  
No, she contradicted herself. I loved him before that. I always loved his gentle nature, the strength, the support, the warm personality. I knew him because I could read his emotions and I fell in love with him as a person, not him as an attractive body.  
When he had been turned human by Ralyk, Mel had felt like hit with a baseball bat. His aura was incredible! She sighed deeply and looked at the closed doors again. Now he was hurt, getting treatment for a very serious wound in his thigh and she was left here, alone, with a lot of time to ponder things.  
"Care for some coffee?"  
Mel looked up and discovered Lancer, who was standing at her side. How she had approached her without Mel even hearing a sound was something the young woman pondered for a second, then shoved aside. Lancer was a trained assassin, moving so incredibly quiet and fast that it was really no miracle how she had managed it. And Mel was rather lost in thought.  
"Thanks," she muttered and gave the mutant a smile.  
Lancer sat down beside her. "They kicked you out to wait here, right?"  
Mel sipped at the steaming coffee and grimaced slightly. Somehow, a decent cup of coffee was something impossible to manage in either dimension. "Yeah," she finally said.  
"Waiting is always the hardest part."  
"Tell me about it."  
Lancer looked at her for some time and Mel felt uneasy under the scrutiny. "I know what your answer to the next question will be," she finally said, "but I'll ask anyway. How close are you and Nightmare?"  
Mel stared at her, a million thoughts colliding in her head. Finally she got one straight and answered, "We are friends. I've known him since my second birthday." It sounded like a recital.  
Lancer nodded, as if she had expected that. "And now the truth?"  
"What do you mean?"  
The blonde woman raised an eyebrow. Mel stubbornly kept her silence. She wouldn't confirm any wild suspicions!  
"I mean that I'm not blind, girl. I mean that I saw how worried you were when they brought him in. Not just worried because he is a friend who is hurt; worried because you are afraid to lose him."  
"Of course I'm afraid to lose him!" Mel said forcefully. "He's a very good friend!"  
"And very close."  
Mel resisted the urge to ask again what she meant. She only shrugged. "Like I said, I've known him for some time now."  
Lancer smiled and leaned forward. "And you love him, Melissa."  
Mel drew back as if hit by a whip. Her eyes went wide and she paled a little, though she got herself under control quite quickly.  
"Don't deny it," Lancer went on. "I can see it's true and it's nothing to be ashamed of." One corner of her mouth lifted into a wry smile. "I'm in about the same position you are in."  
Mel shook her head. "You don't understand....."  
"I don't? Girl, I love an Autobot. I live with him, laugh with him, sleep with him." Mel flinched again. "And I gave birth to two children. So I don't understand?"  
"It's not the same," she whispered. "When we go back... he can't turn human at will like Rodimus."  
Lancer frowned a bit. "Shan told me Ralyk turned them all human.... don't you think this all-powerful entity can't grant a little wish here or there?"  
Melissa stared at her and it was clear she had not thought about it before. "Maybe...."  
Lancer smiled. "Just ask." Then she bent forward conspiratorially. "Or isn't it worth it?"  
Mel blushed and Lancer chuckled.  
"I guess that answers my question. I've to confess he has a rugged good look to him."  
The blush deepened and Mel coughed. "Uhm...."  
"Hey, you can talk to me!"  
"Yeah....."  
Lancer grinned. "Just don't worry about it all now. Enjoy what you have here as long as you can, Mel."  
"I will," Mel answered softly  
Lancer rose from the chair and smiled again. "You do that. I have a few more things to do, then I'll be back and we can discuss this a bit better, okay? I think you need somemore advice here."  
Melissa nodded and smiled a bit, and watched her go. She emptied her cup and rose as well to throw it into the bin when she discovered someone else entering the waiting area, just from the other side. She froze, unable to stop herself from staring. She knew that man, though she had never seen him before, to be correct. But she knew his dimensional twin. The man was none other than Adam 'Spike' Witwicky, the dimensional twin of her father, though this version looked quite different from the person she remembered. He looked very old, to start with, like someone who had been hit by too many strokes of Fate, someone who had suffered. His hair was much more gray than her father's and his eyes held a tired, somehow also cold look. Lines were etched around his eyes and mouth, but they were no laugh lines. Worry, anger, pain and more were forever engraved into this face.  
Spike became aware of her and stopped as well, looking suspiciously at her. Mel felt somehow disappointed by this cold, calculating look and she wondered where in his life this Spike had lost the friendly, warm, sometimes temperamental character of her father.  
"Uhm, hi," she said and smiled.  
There was no smile in return.  
"I'm Mel...." she introduced herself, omitting her last name. She had no idea about the family of this Spike and from his looks, he didn't know her, so -- at least her logical mind said so -- she didn't exist here.  
"I'm visiting...." she added when nothing came forth.  
"You are with the others?" he finally asked.  
Mel winced inside as she heard the coldness in his voice.  
"Yes."  
Someone else entered the waiting area and Mel gave a sigh of relief as she discovered Shanygn. Roddy's Interface partner seemed to take in the situation in one stride and smiled disarmingly at Spike.  
"Hi, ambassador," she greeted him, refraining from calling him by his first name.  
"Shanygn," he nodded back. Then he suddenly turned and walked out.  
Mel stared after him, shaking her head. "What's with him? He's not the least like the Spike I know....."  
Shanygn sighed softly. "It's a long and ugly story." She gestured toward the chairs. "And since we have some time to kill, I think I can tell you his story."

 

Spike had stopped outside the waiting room, hesitating. He had been rude to the young woman. He hadn't planned to act like this, but somehow he hadn't been able to prevent himself from slipping. He turned and made a few steps back to the partly open door. Shanygn's voice could be heard and he found himself listening in. He wasn't an eavesdropper normally.  
"So I don't exist here?" Mel said when he started listening.  
"Correct. This time line is different and Spike had to deal with a lot more and, partly, with less than the Spike you know," Shanygn explained and then continued to give Mel a short version of what was different here.  
Spike felt the familiar, dull ache when she mentioned Daniel's death and he was surprised to hear Mel inhale sharply.  
"He's dead?" the young woman whispered. "Oh, no....."  
"And you were never born," Shanygn added. "He lost his only child, so you might attest his behavior to it."  
"Oh, gods," Mel finally managed. "Imagine what would have happened if..... if Dan and Kim had come here somehow!"  
"I know," Shanygn said softly.  
"Do you think he knows who I might be?"  
"Did you give him your last name?"  
"No." Mel sighed. "I didn't know if he had a daughter here, so I simply told him my first name."  
Spike felt like punched in the stomach. Daughter? Mel was.....? She was.....? His daughter! He missed most of what was spoken in the waiting room because his mind was trying to cope with this new information. His dimensional twin had not only had the luck to see his son grow up, he had also fathered another child.... Mel. Now he knew why she had seemed so familiar to him. She had Carly's features, though her wavy, brown hair was definitely not from her mother's side. She had the same dark brown eyes as Daniel had had.... The dull ache came back and he closed his eyes in pain. It had been such a long time since his son had been killed, but every time he thought of him, the pain returned. Maybe he would have been able to cope with the loss better if Daniel had died of an accident; or of a sickness. But he hadn't. One of Danny's best childhood friends, a person Spike himself had always trusted and respected, had killed him.  
No! part of him protested. The Jabez abducted and killed him. He was already dead when Rodimus killed him!  
But it was so hard to remind himself of it because Daniel had been like his old self even after he had been Converted. Why him? Why a boy who had still had his life ahead of him? Why not Spike himself? He would gladly have given his life to save his son.  
Through his pain-clouded mind he hadn't heard the door open completely. His eyes registered the figure in front of him and he felt both embarrassed and mortified at his discovery. Mel looked at him with compassion and without the least bit of anger or shock that he had listened in. Spike found himself unable to walk away. He simply stood there, his mind wracked by painful memories of his son, staring at a daughter he had never had. Mel stepped forward, hesitating, then smiled a bit.  
"I ...." Spike finally managed. "I'm sorry. I didn't want... to listen....."  
Mel shook her head. "I'm glad you did," she said and her brown eyes told him that this was true. "Because we might want to start again." She stretched out her hand. "I'm Melissa Janine Witwicky, consultant, limited empath and, to quote certain people, a pain in the diodes."  
"Empath?" he whispered.  
"Limited," she added. "I can read emotions of robots, not humans."  
Spike slowly took the small, strong hand and clasped it in his own. "I think you know who I am," she said, trying to get his voice working again.  
Mel nodded. "And I think we need to talk."  
He tried a smile, which was more of a grimace. "Consultation?"  
Now it was Mel's turn to grimace. "Nah. I'm only working with robots, mostly helping out First Aid with his patients. And," she added with an amused expression, "you wouldn't even be able to pay my hourly fee!"  
Spike found himself grinning despite everything he felt. "I see."  
Mel grinned back. "Now, I have some time to spare because they won't let me into the med bay anyway, so .... do you know a quiet place to talk?"  
He hesitated one more second, debating with himself whether this was a wise decision or not, then nodded and led the way.

 

Shanygn watched them from her place in the waiting room and smiled. Then she left the waiting room area, knowing from Rodi that First Aid would call everyone when the operation was over -- and that would take a while.

* * *

Optimus Prime was tired beyond words and his hand throbbed painfully. After returning to the building they had heard about Shan and Roddy's arrival and met with them. Rodimus had been visibly relieved to see his friend still on one piece, though looking a bit battered. Rodimus had explained that Raven would be able to get them back one by one, using her signature to access the doorway. They would start going back one by one after they knew how Nightmare was.  
Now Optimus sat in an empty conference room, using the human sized chairs he had found to rest. Though he was tired, he knew he couldn't sleep. It was impossible. Images of the past haunted him, of Ariel and Elita..... He screwed his eyes shut and clenched his good hand into a fist, squashing the empty Styrofoam cup. The little conversation with Megatron had helped to ease the first pain, but now the memories came back. Good ones, bad ones, happy ones, sad ones....... Memories of his past life as Orion Pax, his reincarnation as Optimus Prime, leaving Elita back on Cybertron, thinking her dead, finding her again, losing her -- forever. The memories had never left him and the pain had never really died. It was omnipresent and ready to swamp him if he let his guard down. He had found a new, possible partner and mate in Rikkochet, but even this had not been enough to shove away what he had shared with Elita. They had been one, linked by body and mind, the first of a new generation of Autobots created by Alpha Trion, and now she was gone while he continued, fighting a new war.  
Someone entered the room and he looked up -- freezing. His eyes grew wide and his mouth suddenly went dry, the human body reacting with shock and fear at the robot now standing not very far away from him.  
"Hi," Elita One said, smiling gently. "I didn't know the room was occupied..... you are one of the visitors, right?"  
Optimus closed his eyes for a split second, inhaling deeply and forcibly calming down. He couldn't run this time, at least not without igniting major questions from others later. He had to face it -- now!  
"Yes," he managed.  
She studied him and he had to hold onto himself not to cry out as he saw those familiar blue optics. Her body had changed, but not her eyes, not her face.  
"You are Optimus Prime's dimensional twin," Elita went on.  
He only nodded.  
"Your Rodimus told me about you."  
Optimus paled even more, but he managed to hold the soft, blue gaze. "He did?"  
She knelt down and placed her hands on her thighs, face compassionate. "Yes. He told me a lot."  
No, not that! Please! But her expression gave him a clue as to how much Rodimus had spilled. I'm gonna kill you, Roddy! he thought furiously. Why can't you let me handle this alone? Did you send her here or was it really just an 'accidental' meeting?!  
"I know it must be hard for you, Optimus," Elita now said, shaking her head. "And I wish there was something I could do to help, but as it seems, my presence only makes it worse."  
"No!" he choked, shaking his head as well. "No, please, it's not you." He cursed this body for the emotional tidal waves it provided and for the open display they were on. As a robot he felt as well, had the same emotions, but at least he could hide them behind his mask!  
"It is," she contradicted.  
Optimus clenched his good hand into a fist and stared at the floor for a second. "Not really. It's the memories. My memories of another you."  
She was silent, waiting for him to continue.  
"Of someone I loved very much and lost without ever getting a chance to .... say good-bye," he whispered. He didn't know why he told her, though this Elita radiated a sense of family, of friendship, of someone she had been in another dimension. Optimus found himself talking to her, slowly, with a lot of painful memories interrupting.  
And Elita listened, her face turning into a mask of shared pain, but she never interrupted, never moved, simply sat there and listened. Throughout the whole time, neither of them was aware of a white-haired human listening for a time, then carefully walking away, a pleased smile on his lips.

 

Megatron nearly bumped into Rodimus Prime and for second he wondered what version he was confronted with, but when he looked into the face, he quickly identified him as the Rodimus from his dimension. There was a difference between them, in their optics and also in the way they moved, that separated them immensely. Rodimus grinned irrepressibly.  
"They are talking?"  
Megatron nodded. "They are."  
Rodimus looked pleased. "Good!"  
The humanized Decepticon chuckled. "Don't ever tell him I dropped a line about what happened on the look-out platform."  
Rodimus held up his hand in a gesture of swearing an oath. "No word will come over my lips." The smile stayed. "But I suspect he knows."  
"Yeah, probably."  
"Though he might target me first," Rodimus added with a chuckle.  
Megatron's lips twisted into a sarcastic smile. "Very likely."  
Both walked down the corridor, both pleased, but also wondering what Optimus' revenge might be for this 'indiscretion'.

* * *

Spike smiled slightly at the young woman sitting opposite of him on the couch in the living room. Spike had not moved from Cybertron, even after Daniel had been killed. Carly had first insisted they move, but after the initial shock had passed and the long period of mourning had set in, she had told him she wouldn't mind staying. It was very painful for her to be around those who had killed her son, but she had managed. She had always been a strong woman.  
Carly had been home when Spike had brought Mel along. He had decided to get her out of the complex and away from med bay, where someone important to her was currently treated. He had no idea who it was and he had yet to ask, but from her worried eyes he had read all he needed to know. Carly had been surprised at the visit, but she had welcomed Mel, not even knowing the full truth. Spike had then, after they had settled down, told his wife just who this young woman was, and Carly was torn between astonishment and disbelief.  
"Oh, god," she had finally managed and tears had spilled out of her eyes.  
Mel had been so confused and the first best thing she had been able to think of was to hug Carly. Carly had gotten herself under control quite quickly, but she had been embarrassed nevertheless.  
"I'm sorry...."  
Mel smiled. "It's okay. I guess it would be a shock for me too."  
Carly nodded. "Yes, but still...." Her pain-filled eyes turned to her husband. "Danny is alive in the other dimension?"  
Spike nodded.  
"Dan married a few years ago," Mel explained carefully, unsure what to say and what to keep quiet in case it upset Carly. From the blonde woman's look, though, she wanted to know -- badly. "Her name's Kimberly Moya. They have a baby girl, Dana Janine, and she just turned two."  
Carly's eyes grew bright with tears once more, but this time she didn't cry. She still made a choking sound and Spike took her hand.  
"I ... didn't want to upset you," Mel said quickly, feeling guilty.  
"No, no," Carly whispered quickly. "It's .... it's good to know Daniel had a chance to live ... somewhere else." Fresh tears now streamed over her cheeks.  
Mel's guilt deepened. "I don't think this was such a good idea," she muttered and rose. "I'll better get back to med bay and...."  
Carly jumped up and held her back, wiping her tears away. "No, Melissa, please. You didn't really upset me. I ... the memories are still too strong and I doubt they will ever leave, but it's not your fault. Please stay. Tell me about you and your brother..... please?"  
"Are you sure?"  
Carly nodded and so did Spike. Mel sat down again, still unsure.  
"Your friend in med bay...." Spike started. "Who is he? Someone we know?"  
Mel shook her head. "I doubt it." She slowly told about Nightmare's past and his present role, their relationship as far as she dared to tell them -- omitting the fact of their love -- and why he looked human. Spike and Carly listened closely, asked a question here or there, but they didn't dig deeper. When Carly led carefully back to Mel's family, the young woman sighed first, then told them about herself, about Daniel and his work on Nebulous until the Nebulans had panicked because of the war, about Kimberly, about DJ, their baby daughter, about life at home. Carly sometimes got fresh tears into her eyes, but she smiled, urging Mel to go on. Finally she ran out of family stuff for now and she wondered if she could ask something of her own.  
"Listen," she said, "I'd like to ask something myself -- which you don't have to answer if you can't."  
Carly nodded, as did Spike.  
"It's about you and Daniel here."  
Carly looked composed and gave Mel an encouraging look.  
"I don't know what happened here," the young woman went on, "but I want to know. I know Daniel was killed, but I have yet to understand how....why....?"  
Spike's pain was obvious all of a sudden and he inhaled deeply. Carly appeared pale, but the tears had dried. She mirrored the same pain her in eyes as her husband, but she nodded.  
"I think you have the right to know," she said slowly.  
Mel listened to the story in disbelief, pain and desperation, and when Spike and Carly, had stopped, she stared at the floor, unable to feel anything for a moment.  
"Oh, god," she finally whispered. "I didn't know.... I shouldn't have asked...."  
Carly took her hand. "It happened a very long time ago, Melissa. We still feel the pain and I will never forget it, but it's okay."  
"That's why you evade Rodimus and Lancer," Mel muttered, realizing this for the first time.  
Spike looked like hit by a brick in the face. He hadn't known it was that obvious to an outsider. "In a way," he finally confessed.  
"Not in a way," Mel contradicted seriously, "definitely. You are evading them and I saw in your eyes, heard it in your voice, how one part hates them and another part understands."  
Spike stared at her. "Are you sure you are limited?" he finally asked.  
"Yes. I'm not reading your emotions, ambassador, I'm reading your body language, your eyes, you tone. I'm working in consultation and not all of my patients are robots. I'm helping humans as well." Mel briefly looked at her hands, then met both their eyes again. "I think I can never judge or imagine what you must be feeling. I know for sure that I can't. But I know that you can work through your initial feelings of hatred. You are only hurting yourself and you are punishing those who are not the least bit responsible for it."  
Carly flinched, looking ashamed all of a sudden.  
"Rodimus didn't kill Daniel," Mel went on regardless of what effect her words had now. She had to say this because she saw it as a great injustice, done to someone who had helped. "Lancer didn't kill him either. Of course he gave the order, but if I understood it right, Daniel was dead already by then, killed by the Jabez. If you want to hate someone, hate them. Focus it on them." Mel inhaled deeply, flashing back to something similar painful -- not in her life; a friend's. "We don't have the Jabez in our dimension," she continued since neither Spike nor Carly interrupted her, "but we have the Tji. They killed a friend, a human -- an Interface. The moment Mike died, Archer committed suicide by self-destructing right in the Tji's midst. He couldn't get over the loss of his Interface partner. It was a senseless death and we could have helped him to get over his loss, but he refused, blindly storming ahead. I'm not saying that you are suicidal, but you are just as blind." Mel knew she sounded harsh now, but there was no way around it. "You are blaming the wrong people, cutting them out of your life, hurting them, punishing them. What you do is as senseless as what Archer did!" She shook her head. "Let them help you! Share your pain, not your hatred!"  
Carly's face was a pale mask and Spike wasn't looking all that good either. His dark brown eyes were whirlpools of contradicting emotions. Mel ran a hand through her wavy, long hair and rose.  
"I ... I think I extended my welcome here for too long," she muttered. "I want to get back to Nightmare......" She nearly fled out of the living room and then the house, her mind screaming at her that she could have been more diplomatic and that for someone who had not wanted to inflict emotional pain, she had done a miserable job.

* * *

Shanygn was nearly overrun by Edana, who stormed at her like the eight-year-old whirlwind she was. Alex wasn't that much behind her older sister and Lancer had to hold on to herself not to laugh out aloud. Shanygn sat in the middle of the room on the floor, laughing as Edana asked question after question while Alex played with her long braid, trying to undo the tight band holding it together. Shanygn patiently answered Edana's question and kept an eye on Alex, who had managed to undo the band and now continued to undo the braid.  
Lancer laughed again as she watched her youngest child happily unwrap the tight braid.  
"Hey!" Shanygn cried in mock-protest.  
Alex had undone most of the braid and was now playing with the long, blue hair. "Rascal!"  
Alex made happy noises and grinned broadly.  
Lancer chuckled. "Let's start with the tour before you come completely undone!"  
Shanygn laughed and freed herself of the kids. Edana pouted and Alex tried to reach the tempting toy that was now out of reach.  
"I'll come back," Shanygn promised.  
"Okay," Edana decided with a sigh.  
Alex nearly toppled over as she got up and Shanygn caught her, taking her up into her arms. "Okay, you little trouble-maker, Shanygn wants to take a look around, and later we can play hairdresser."  
"Goooo!" Alex made and grinned.  
Shanygn laughed and set her down again, following Lancer, who told her kids to behave.  
"Nick would have a field day," she told her friend as she looked around the ship.  
Lancer nodded. "I'm trying to think of Talon and Nicholas and Maelstrom at their disposal..... I think we'd never see them again!"  
The blue-haired woman laughed. "Probably. I didn't see much of Nicholas after the Seekers changed bases from Skritakaar to Mernan. He spent weeks there, exploring, rebuilding, learning."  
Lancer led Shanygn down the corridor, which was normal size and which told Shanygn that this ship had not been built by giants.  
"This is the bridge," Lancer announced as she stepped through a sliding door.  
Shanygn gaped and she knew Nicholas would never forgive himself for not coming along. This was incredible and she couldn't do much more than keep staring. Finally she whispered, "Wow!"  
"I take that as a compliment," a male voice rumbled.  
Shanygn turned and as was met by a bald, tall man, whose face sported a full beard and who looked like he could win a wrestling match easily.  
"Talon, that's Shanygn. I told you about her a few times," Lancer introduced her friend.  
Talon nodded with a grunt.  
"Talon's keeping the ship in shape -- or the other way around," Lancer chuckled, which earned her a mock glare from Talon.  
Shanygn walked to the middle of the bridge, or as close as she could get, her eyes wandering from the clear dome above her to the chasm in front of her. A handrail kept people from falling into it. She leaned over the handrail as much as she dared and looked down.  
"Cool," she muttered and felt Roddy's presence in her mind. He had picked up on her excitement and she transmitted what she saw here. He silently wished he could see it as well and she mercilessly teased him about becoming human because that was the only way he would ever be able to get aboard.  
Talon joined her, beaming proudly. "She's a beauty," he declared.  
Shanygn nodded. "She is."  
The tall man continued to tell her about he ship's abilities, her technical data, her size, weight and length, and Shanygn felt her head starting to spin. This thing was incredible! Lancer finally had some mercy and dragged her away from Talon, who would have gone on for hours if they had let him, and they continued their tour. Shanygn was introduced to several more members of Maelstrom and shown the quarters, cargo hold, and nearly everything else. Shanygn was fascinated and her eyes were glowing. Her silent link to Roddy stood and he was in on everything.  
"This ship is great!" she finally told Lancer. "Really!"  
Lancer nodded. "Even though it is a Jabez construct, yes, it is great."  
Shanygn's fascination dimmed and her eyes shadowed with the knowledge she had acquired about the Jabez throughout their encounters in the last years. "Oh."  
Lancer forced a smile on her lips. "But better in our hands than theirs."  
Shanygn nodded. "Yeah." She looked at the mass of plants in front of her, filling the greenhouse up to the ceiling and giving a feeling of standing in the middle of a jungle.  
"Let's get back to the kids. They'll never forgive me if I don't let them at you a second time," Lancer tore her out of her thoughts, equally trying to get rid of dark memories.  
Shanygn chuckled, checking on Roddy and receiving the news that Raven would get Cyclonus and Megatron back first, then the others. Nightmare and Mel would go last since he needed some time to get his strength back.  
A few minutes later Shanygn forgot the reality, the harsh reality in both dimensions as she played with the kids, hearing their laughter, watching them and their mother. Inside of her was the small flame of hope that one day she might have a child herself, but it was a false hope, a hope she could never turn into reality. At least she had an understanding partner and a great friend in Rodimus, who knew her dark past since their intense mind-link.  
As if he had felt it, his thoughts touched hers and she told him everything was okay. Edana looked at her.  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
Shanygn chuckled. Edana might be unable to see, but she wasn't blind. She was like Mel in many ways, though Mel had bugged robots with her empathy skills as a child, unnerving them to no end.  
"Yes, darling, I'm okay."  
"But you are sad."  
Shanygn nodded. "Yes, but it isn't real sadness; it's remembered sadness. Memories are always a bother."  
Edana nodded as well, her face very serious, as if she knew exactly what Shanygn was talking about, and Shan thought the child did. Suddenly Alex intruded, aiming for the braid again and Shanygn laughed, as the child pulled at the band. She forced herself to only live now, not in the past or possible future, and from Lancer's expression, the mother of two was doing the same.

* * *

Megatron had resumed his exploration of the building and surrounding premises, feeling good somehow, though talking to Optimus Prime had reopened old wounds of his own. Memories of FreeFall floated through his mind, but now he could look at what had happened with a lot more detachment than he had thought. It had been a very long time ago and he had found someone else, someone who was as temperamental, but also gentle, as his deceased partner. He wouldn't say that he and Sphere were life mates. They were involved and he had yet to confess that he felt bound to her. He had told Optimus the truth when he had said that Sphere kept him even-tempered. Explosions of anger or rage had dwindled, though he was still prone to losing it now and then. That her brother, Starscream, was not exactly happy about this was just a minor aspect. Megatron had handled Starscream in the past, as his second-in-command, so he didn't think he would have any problems now.  
Sparks had joined him, silently keeping him company, but from her smug look she seemed to have a good time and he might hear about it one day. As he rounded another corner he nearly collided with a human. A human he knew.  
"Hello, Malice," he said and grinned.  
Malice stared at him in open-mouthed shock. "You?!" she finally managed.  
"I'm back," he nodded.  
Megatron felt something physically touch him and tried not to flinch. It was a touch he remembered, a telekinetic touch.  
"I'm okay, no problems at all," he told the young woman. "The morphogenic field is locked down this time, courtesy of Ralyk. No imminent transformation problems."  
"How...? I mean...." Malice was utterly confused.  
Megatron shrugged. "A bit of a complicated story." Sparks snorted. Something inside of him gave him a kick and the next words stumbled out, "How about you show me the way to the next vending machine and I'll invite you to a coffee? I still owe you something from last time and I might just start paying back with a coffee. Megatron never keeps a debt unpaid."  
"You don't have money," Malice remarked dryly.  
Megatron gave her a wry smile. "True."  
"You could beat it out of the machine," Sparks muttered.  
Malice stared at the cat but seemed to decide not to ask how this animal was able to talk.  
"Shut up, fur ball," Megatron growled.  
Sparks sat down on her haunches and looked him straight in the eyes. "Wossname," she declared.  
Megatron's eyes stayed their normal hazel color, but he ignored the cat.  
Malice, who seemed to have changed a bit since they had last met, smiled. "Okay, I'll invite you -- and your cat -- and you tell me what happened this time."  
Spark smuttered something sounding like, "I'm not his cat", but it was quite impossible to really catch it.  
They walked down the corridor, Malice leading the way to the next cantina.

* * *

Mel was present when Nightmare woke out of his sleep. He had passed from the artificial unconsciousness of the operation into normal sleep and the human doctor had told her that everything was okay. He had lost a lot of blood, which had been slowly replaced throughout the last hours, and the wound was now stitched and tightly wrapped. He would have to take it easy for some time and walk with a crutch, but he had survived and that was what counted. Being with him right now also took her out of the way of Spike and Carly. Mel wished she had never agreed to talk to them about herself and the other dimension; and that she hadn't criticized them for their behavior here. It had been wrong and she felt incredibly bad.  
As she sat at his bedside, Mel had a lot of time to study Nightmare's human body. She felt the strong emotions she had for him rise once more. As Lancer had so correctly stated: he was ruggedly handsome. And she was incredibly attracted to him. Mel sighed and closed her eyes, getting her feelings under control. When she looked at him again, she found herself immediately lost in two dark eyes.  
"Hi," he whispered.  
"Hi!" she stuttered, feeling his hand close weakly around hers.  
"You look tired," Nightmare remarked.  
"You look terrible," she returned with a grin.  
"Oh, thank you," he grumbled.  
"Welcome back," she whispered.  
Nightmare smiled. "I had something special to come back to," he muttered.  
Mel blushed a bit.  
Someone came into the room and she drew back from him immediately. The nurse smiled at them and Mel managed not to turn red again. She watched the older woman check Nightmare and when the doctor entered as well, she said good-bye. This would take some time.

* * *

Raven studied Cyclonus as he stood at the window overlooking the inner yard of the complex they were in, his back ramrod straight, unmoving, eyes fixed on something in the distance. He had had a short nap and got up a few minutes ago, dressing silently. Raven sat on the back of a chair and had him in her immediate line of sight. puzzling about him as she had done for most of their 'organic' stay, which had lasted over 36 hours now.  
Cyclonus had taken getting turned into a human very well, almost perfectly well. Unlike the others, except for Megatron, he wasn't repulsed by eating, and unlike everyone he had no problems with the hyper-sensitive body and the troubles it could give. A body could sweat, feel pain, experience strange sensations a robot had never had, it could tire, it demanded more rest than a mechanical one, it felt hunger and thirst and more. While Megatron had had to cope with this before and consequently hadn't had so much trouble then, the others had been confused and slightly panicky at first. Raven had been hit by the sensations as well, but after some time it hadn't felt all that bad. And talking to Sphere had helped. Like everyone else, Cyclonus had been turned human by Ralyk, though Megatron had only needed a bit of encouragement to get his molecular structure to rearrange themselves into a human body once more.  
The training had been tough and sometimes painful because the organic body could hurt in the most unlikely places when strained. Muscle aches were hell. But Cyclonus had always suffered through them in silence, speaking only when spoken to and generally growing even more silent than he normally was.  
Raven sighed. He had changed when she had left him to follow her ancient instinct to go to Cybertron. She had found out who she really was; not a useless piece of metal, but a Key, someone of importance, someone who was needed. He had accepted it, had understood her, but it had hurt him and she knew it. Cyclonus was much more than what he implied when you met him first and he had stood by her side, defended her against his fellow Decepticons, and he had opened a part of him to her that no one knew of. When they had met again he had walled that part of him off and she had had a difficult time to break through the first shields and get him to accept her. Raven loved him and she knew he loved her, but he was afraid that she might have to go again. He no longer showed his emotions all that clearly to the outside world. He was still second-in-command and Megatron valued his expertise, but he was no longer the Cyclonus she had met at first. She had to find this other Cyclonus once more. And talking to him as she was right now had not led to any success.  
Raven sighed once more and remembered something Ralyk had told her. She wasn't stuck in her bird mode, just like Megatron was not stuck as a human. Both of them could morph, Megatron because of the synthoid material, she because she was a Key. She suspected that Nightmare could morph as well, most likely into his animal mode, but she didn't really know. He wasn't one of the first born. She concentrated and felt her body shift.  
Cyclonus, as if he had somehow felt it as well, whirled around and for the first time since his transformation his face showed emotions.  
Raven's body stretched, her feather's grew back into her body, her wings turned into arms and her legs were now human. And she was stark naked, though it was nothing she felt embarrassed about; she had never been used to clothes in either form. She inhaled deeply and then opened her eyes, looking at him.  
"How....?" Cyclonus whispered, astonished.  
"Oh, just a little trick Ralyk told me I could do." She smiled.  
He stared at her. Raven approached him, reaching out to touch him, and he didn't retreat.  
"Cyc, what is wrong with you? Why do you push me away?"  
His face turned cold again. "Nothing is wrong."  
She cocked her head. "Oh, yes? Since we met again you've been treating me like I'm a burden, something you despise, something you'd rather not see! I know I'm down in the chamber a lot because this is my destiny, my job! I know I hurt you when I left...."  
This hit home. He looked away. Raven touched his cheek and ran a finger down his jawline.  
"I am sorry, very sorry. I know it hurt, but I love you, Cyclonus. I never stopped loving you."  
Cyclonus looked at her, his eyes filled with past pain and longing. "I...," he stuttered.  
Raven smiled and simply hugged him gently. Cyclonus wrapped his arms around her soft body. He held her tightly, burying his head in her hair.  
"I think we should talk when we get back," she whispered, "take some time off and settle a few things."  
He nodded slightly. Raven withdrew, not intent to let this get carried away. Joining as humans wasn't advisable, not for them anyway. Neither of them had any idea what it meant and if she and Cyclonus got close again, she wanted it to happen in their own bodies.  
"We should get back to the others," she said. "I want to take the first through the opening in the next hours."  
Cyclonus nodded and watched her morph back into a bird.  
"And I think I'll take you back first," she added.  
Cyclonus smiled.

* * *

Shellshock had not wanted to leave the ship, but in the end he had taken up on an offer from Kain and come to Cybertron. He had made sure he wouldn't meet with too many of his old friends while he was here. There was always a very, very distant longing inside of him whenever he returned ....here. He couldn't think of this planet as his home any more, though he had been borne and spent a lot of his life her with his friends. But now... Too much had changed -- he had changed.  
He stopped as he heard an exclamation of disbelief from one of the rooms, quickly followed by 'shhh-shhh' noises. Shellshock hesitated, then sneaked a look into the room. There were four people and one cat in the room, and Shellshock knew two of them. Lancer and Megatron -- a human Megatron. The other had to be Shanygn, at least she looked like the woman he had heard about. The fourth person was asleep on his chair and Shellshock had never seen him before. He was tall, his long legs stretched out in front of him, and one arm was thickly bandaged. And then there was the cat, sitting on the table, looking smugly at Megatron, who stared back angrily. His eyes glowed slightly red.  
"You are cheating," he now said, staring at the cat.  
There was a board game in front of them, which confused Shellshock even more. They were playing a board game? He could understand Shanygn and maybe Lancer, but Megatron? He reminded himself that this was not the Megatron he had fought against for millions of years. Still ..... playing a board game? Megatron? Shellshock didn't think any incarnation of Megatron would do it.  
"Nope. Just a lot of luck," the cat replied, giving Shellshock his next surprise. A talking cat?!  
Lancer grinned and Shanygn held an equal look of amusement.  
"Cats are lucky charms," the cat went on, grinning. "Might want to remember that the next time you want to kick me off the desk."  
"Next time I'm gonna blast you off the desk," Megatron snarled.  
The cat shrugged. "You'll never hit me. I'm too fast for you." Her tail moved lazily. "And it will only result in more holes in your office wall."  
Shanygn hiccuped with laughter, which earned her a glare from Megatron. She tried to stifle further giggles, but it was impossible. The blond on the chair woke and yawned a bit, blinking.  
"Who won?" he asked sleepily.  
"The fuzz ball," Megatron growled.  
"Yep," the cat added. "Every time."  
Lancer nearly lost her balance as, like Shanygn, she was battling against new waves of laughter.  
"She was cheating," Megatron added.  
"Oh, grow up!" the cat shot back, eyes twinkling in amusement. "You're just a sore loser."  
The blonde chuckled.  
Megatron turned to him, eyes still glowing. "Not a word out of you, Prime!"  
Shellshock had thought he had had all the surprises possible, but now.... Prime? There was only one he could think of because he knew that Rodimus Prime didn't look like that, from either dimension. That left .... Optimus Prime? Human?  
"I wasn't planning on saying something," Optimus replied, smiling ever so slightly, but his gray eyes were dancing.  
"New game?" Shanygn asked. She had finally got control back.  
"There has to be another way to pass the time," Megatron muttered.  
"Oh, we could play chase down the corridor," the cat said innocently.  
"We could also play pick the cat off the wall," Megatron hissed back.  
"Duh! Old game. No fun anymore." Sparks pawed at a few game board pieces and shuffled them her way.  
Megatron made a quick snatch for her, missed, and the black-and-white animal pawed at him, keeping her talons sheathed.  
"You really have to work on that, Megs," she said and jumped off the game table. "I think I'll be off now. You can have my pieces, Op."  
Shellshock quickly retreated, but he wasn't fast enough. The cat, who had exited the room while the others continued to spend their time playing, stopped and looked curiously at him.  
"Hi," she finally said.  
Shellshock stared at her, unable to say something.  
"Oh," the cat then muttered. "Uhm, I'm Sparks," she then introduced herself. "Never saw you where I come from..... are you new?"  
"Not... really," Shellshock finally said.  
"It talks!" Sparks exclaimed, grinning, eyes shining with amusement.  
The blond found himself smiling back against his intent.  
"And it smiles," Sparks added, approaching him. "Do you have a name?"  
"Call me Shellshock."  
"Okay. Care to take a walk?"  
Shellshock hesitated for a second, then nodded. He and the cat walked down the corridor.

* * *

Mel helped Nightmare to their assigned quarters and opened the door, watching him handle the crutch better than expected. He sat down on the bed and sighed with relief.  
"I never knew that a human body feels pain so .... intensely."  
Mel chuckled. "Are you in pain right now?"  
He looked up and grimaced a bit. "Not that much, but it's a bother. As a robot you can normally turn it off, if the circuits work."  
Mel nodded and wished she had some idea about human medicine. She was a good engineer and consultant, but her knowledge about human bodies was average. She knew her first aid procedure and that was about it.  
"Get some rest. Put up the leg and relax."  
Nightmare nodded. "Mel...?" he then asked hesitantly.  
"What is it?"  
"Can we talk?"  
She felt her stomach twinge. "Talk about what?"  
"Us."  
Her stomach transformed into a piece of ice. "What about us?" she breathed.  
Nightmare's fascinating eyes held hers. "I love you, MJ," he told her, eyes serious but full of love. "I always did."  
Mel didn't know what happened first. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open and her knees turned to jelly. "You.... you did?" she managed.  
"Well, I liked you as a child," he laughed. "You were a bit too much to handle from time to time and the empathy stuff scared me, but then you grew up and.... I don't know what. I always thought my feelings were just changing with your age..... And I didn't know that I could really fall in love with a human.... Then there was the incident with Lancer, where I almost lost you." His voice thickened with remembered anguish. "And when this Tji nearly got you -- I thought ....." He looked away, drawing a shaky breath.  
Mel was surprised by the open confession, pleasantly surprised, but also suddenly aware of what he felt, how intense he felt. And it wasn't just that she read his feelings in his eyes.... she sensed them... as if he were a robot. She could feel his emotions! There was worry, anguish at remembered accidents, care and unlimited, deep love. How could she read him if he was human and she had never been able to sense a human's emotions before?!  
Nightmare saw her changed expression. "I'm sorry," he whispered, drawing emotionally away. "I knew I shouldn't have...."  
"No!" Mel cried, then added with a softer voice, "no, please, Nightmare... I ...." Concern swamped her and she trembled slightly. "I ... can sense you...."  
He looked confused. "You ... but...."  
Mel smiled, unsure. "I know. I'm limited to robots, but now I can pick up you, and only you. I wish you could pick up my feelings because it's hard to say it all with 'I love you'," she added softly.  
His face lit up at her words, then it suddenly fell. "What happens when we get back...."  
The ache returned. "I don't know," Mel whispered, swallowing hard.  
Nightmare held out his hand and she took it, feeling his fingers curl around her, his silent strength.  
"We can manage," he said softly and pulled her close.  
Mel hugged him, careful of the injuries, refusing to think about what might soon be reality again.

* * *

Optimus sat patiently on the chair and watched the nurse bandage his hand once more. The cut looked still bad, red and all, but the pain was bearable now. Elita One entered the room and though it ignited a new pain inside of him, he could look at her without a flashback threatening to overwhelm him. The nurse applied the last bit of tape and then left, nodding at Elita.  
"Feeling okay?" the female Autobot asked.  
"Better than before but still not as good as new," he confessed and got off the chair.  
"Raven wants to get you all through to your own dimension in the next few hours and she has already started with Cyclonus," Elita told him as she accompanied him out of med bay. "Your Rodimus is waiting for you at the doorway. He wants you to go through next to get you back to normal and healed."  
Optimus chuckled. "Sounds like I'm close to dying."  
Elita smiled. "He's worried, that I can tell."  
His features softened a bit. "Yeah, I know. Sometimes I wish he'd stop worrying so much about me and worry about himself a bit more."  
Elita stopped, looking curious. "I know a few things Lancer was told when she visited you. And your Rodimus sounds a lot like ours here. He'd give his life to protect the others."  
"He nearly died trying to get me back," Optimus said darkly. "He went out of his way to get me back, going as far as donating his body and mind to my mind until First Aid could repair me. He initiated the transfer by taking the Matrix, which consequently changed him into Rodimus Prime, and he stayed who he was later." He sighed. "It took me so long to make him see that he wasn't responsible for my death and that he has to quit this behavior."  
Elita nodded. "Much of this sounds familiar. Very familiar. There are differences, but they only occur in the last years."  
Optimus ran his good hand over his eyes, rubbing them. Memories came back and he hated them. There were not only memories of Elita now, but also of his death and the pain of feeling not only himself fade, but also the life spark of a humanoid.  
Elita knelt down. "Bad memories again?" she asked softly.  
He inhaled deeply. "Not all bad, but bothering nevertheless. Just be glad that there are differences because some of the things that happened I don't wish anyone to go through at all."  
"I understand," she said.  
Optimus smiled at her. "Let's go," he finally muttered.

* * *

Getting everyone home was easier than initially thought. Raven accessed the doorway, Ralyk opened and she brought one after another through. Ralyk used the transfer to turn everyone back to normal. Mel and Nightmare had decided they would be the last to go, though Rodimus had told them in no uncertain terms that unless everyone was safely back, he wouldn't go back.  
When the count was down to only three more people -- Shan, Roddy and Mel -- someone approached the group, which also consisted of Lancer, Rodi and Optimus. Rodimus tensed as he discovered Spike, who ignore him for now and walked straight toward Mel. The young woman was surprised to say the least.  
"Can I talk to you before you leave?" Spike asked softly.  
She nodded and they walked a few paces away from them. Shan shrugged at Roddy's inquiring look.  
"Listen, Melissa," Spike began without hesitation, "I know you think you hurt us, me, with what you said." He looked straight into her eyes. "And it really did hurt at first, but you were right."  
Mel stared at him. "What...?"  
He held up a hand. "You gave me and Carly a lot to think about and I wish we had seen it right away. We are angry, we are furious, we are hurt and in pain, but we never really looked for the source of that pain. We took out our anger on those who did what was necessary."  
"Then tell them," she whispered.  
Spike nodded, his lips reflecting a little smile. "I will, I promise."  
"Thanks."  
He looked a bit surprised. "I should be the one to thank you, Melissa. I am jealous of what my twin has, always had, but I know I made mistakes and am partly responsible for what I have now."  
Mel touched his arm, sympathizing. "Events ran differently here; there are things that happened in my home dimension I don't wish to happen here -- ever. And it runs true the other way around. Try to live again, ambassador. It really is worth trying."  
He nodded and, to her surprise, hugged her slightly, then let go.  
When they returned to the others, Mel saw Rodi's puzzled expression and Lancer's surprise, but they didn't ask and Spike simply nodded good-bye and left again. Mel stepped through the doorway minutes later.

When it was time to say good-bye, Shan smiled at the unlikely pair of Rodi and Lancer, wishing she could really stay longer and not have to go back now. But even though the barriers between their dimension were weak, it was always a gamble to find a working doorway spot. If she decided to stay here a bit longer it meant forcing Raven to do the same, and Rodimus, her Rodimus, would suffer the separation. She couldn't do it. And then there was the fact that she would be in danger here, since the Jabez would sooner or later learn of her presence.  
Lancer gave her a hug. "It was nice seeing you again," she said.  
"Same here."  
Raven popped up like out of nowhere, in her body robotic again since Ralyk turned her back as well, and the landed on Rodimus' shoulder. "Who's first?" she asked.  
Roddy nodded at Shanygn. "Your turn."  
"Why did I know he'd say that?" Shanygn muttered and grinned.  
Raven jumped off Roddy's shoulder and transformed, picking up Shanygn and stepping through the doorway. As it closed, Rodimus winced slightly and his blue optics seemed to darken. Lancer watched him closely, seeing a pain she was familiar with and which showed her once again how close the two of them were linked.  
"Are you okay?" Rodi asked his twin.  
"Yeah."  
Lancer exchanged a look with her partner and shook her head. Roddy might not suffer like the first time they had come here, when Shanygn had had a breakdown and Rodimus had come after her into Lancer's dimension to 'save' her, but it still got to him. When Raven came back for the last transfer, Rodimus seemed to take a deep breath of relief. He turned to their 'hosts'.  
"Thanks again for taking care of our people."  
Lancer chuckled. "You're welcome. Always a treat to have you around."  
Rodimus grinned, then nodded as his dimensional twin and Optimus. Raven took his arm to get contact established, then activated the doorway. It closed after them, though it didn't lock down. That was impossible.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since their encounter with the other dimension and normality had set in. Cyclonus had turned over matters with the renegade groups to Hound, Smokescreen and Soundwave. Hifi had volunteered as well. Megatron was working the normal routine, though he seemed to keep an eye on Optimus -- which was not obvious if you didn't look for it. Optimus radiated the normal calmness and strength, but Rodimus, and Megatron, knew that he was still suffering from meeting Elita One, alive and so very much different. Silhouette had turned up as his silent shadow as well and Rodimus knew that this was the best right now. Optimus trusted her and as a female she had a few more points for her than Rodimus could ever have.  
But it hadn't kept Optimus from having a talk with Rodimus.....

....... Rodimus entered his older friend's office and from the look on Optimus face, he wanted to talk about something. Rodimus' mind came up with a dozen excuses to leave right away, but he somehow couldn't find the courage to say any of them out aloud.  
"You wanted to talk to me?" he asked instead.  
Optimus' optics held a neutral look. He had readjusted quite well to being a robot again and the deep cut in his arm had been fixed by First Aid. It had been a rather nasty cut -- even in robot form.  
"You want to explain to me what you did in the twin dimension?" he asked.  
"Uh ....did?"  
"You know what I'm talking about, so don't play innocent."  
Rodimus knew exactly what Optimus was talking about, but he didn't want to talk about it.  
"Spill it before I wring your neck," the Autobot leader growled.  
"It was meant to help!" Rodimus blurted. "I heard how you reacted to Elita One and...."  
"You heard?" Optimus asked, his voice level.  
"Uhm...."  
"Was Megatron in on that little scheme of yours as well?"  
"Uhm....."  
Optimus shook his head. "Rodimus, it was something private! It still is!"  
"And it hurt you!" Rodimus said, slight anger tingeing his voice. "Don't tell me you weren't extremely hurt! And don't tell me talking to the other Elita didn't help at least a bit!"  
Optimus sighed. "Yes, it helped, but it was a mean trick."  
"With you, I always have to work with tricks, Optimus."  
That earned him a sharp look. "If you had been there at the time, I'd have strangled you -- slowly," he finally said. "And I even would have enjoyed it."  
Rodimus looked mock-offended.  
"And how did you get Megatron to talk about it?" Optimus asked.  
The younger leader looked caught all of a sudden. "Well....."  
"Roddy...."  
"Actually.... he talked to me," Rodimus said quickly, "and came up with the idea. I was just the assistant!" With that he made a quick retreat.  
Optimus stared at the empty spot where Rodimus had been mere seconds ago. Megatron? He had started this? He had planned this? Optimus shook his head, wondering what had come over his old enemy.  
No. No longer an enemy. A friend.  
A slow smiled spread over his face, slightly sad. He straightened and looked out of the window, his gaze going the direction Elita's grave was. He had visited it once and then never again. He had never unearthed her remains, afraid what he might see, what he would remember from then on. He wanted to remember her as she had been, a warm and gentle person, caring and alive. He might also remember her dimensional twin now, her personality so much the same, and his smile grew. Some things had gone wrong, some had gone right in both dimensions. People had died here and lived over there and vice versa, but neither dimension was a paradise.....  
Optimus turned back to his desk, scanning over the work still to be done. He ignored it and left his office. He walked toward the inner yard where he knew he'd find who he was searching for.  
"Hi, Sil," he said  
The female Dinobot looked up, blue eyes warm and gentle.  
"Care to accompany me for a last good-bye?"  
She rose gracefully from her position, nodding. Optimus knew she had waited for him to come and say this for years. Both left South Port, watched by Rodimus Prime who smiled softly.  
[He's okay?] Shanygn's voice whispered in his head.  
[Not really, no. But he's on the best way to recover]  
Shanygn had to agree. [Silhouette is an immense help for him, as are you]  
Rodimus chuckled, remembering how Optimus had said that he had wanted to strangle him for what he had done. [Yeah]  
Shanygn picked up on this image and laughed out aloud. He turned and went back to work.

........

Mel had gone back to work as well and she tried to lose herself in it, visiting IceAngel in the Inner Maze for a few days and seeing how she was doing. She also went to Earth to see her parents and brother and they all had a talk about the other dimension. She was surprised to hear that they knew.  
"When Lancer hit you years ago," Spike had said calmly, though the memories were clearly painful, "we heard a lot about what went on over there."  
"And you never told me?" Mel had been incredulous.  
"Why?" Carly had asked. "There was no reason."  
Mel had simply nodded and accepted it.  
Now, weeks later, that she was back on Cybertron, she felt the familiar ache in her chest. It was longing, she knew, a longing no one could take away. Nightmare was once again a robot and she was still human. She hadn't seen him for more than a few hours in all the time she had been back and she wished she could just go down there and behave like nothing had happened. But she couldn't. Even in his robot mode, looking so dark and dangerous, she was attracted to him and she was afraid it would show. Of course they had both been busy, but in the past she had always found time for him.  
Walking along the corridor, hands buried in her pockets, she found her way back to the cantina and decided now was as good a time as any to get a coffee and sandwich. She found a quiet table and slowly chewed on the sandwich. She had to confess that she had hoped everything would pass, but it hadn't. She missed Nightmare, his warmth and gentleness, and she wished she could just go down into the chamber and face him. It was difficult for her to show that she had fallen in love with a robot. She hated to think what the others would say! And her parents..... She knew how they had felt when he had wanted to become a Headmaster. What would they say if their daughter declared love to a former Decepticon?  
"Is this chair still free?" someone asked and she looked up.  
Shanygn, holding a glass of orange juice in one hand, stood at her table.  
"Yes," she said and Shanygn sat down.  
"How are you?"  
Mel frowned. "Fine. Why do you ask?"  
"Because it's quite obvious that you aren't. And so is Nightmare. What the hell happened between the two of you?"  
Mel looked away. So people started to notice already. "Nothing."  
Shanygn lifted one corner of her mouth. "It looks more like a lot happened," she remarked.  
Mel's head whipped up and she stared at the older woman. "You know?" she whispered.  
Shanygn leaned forward. "Listen, Mel, I'm not blind and even though I'm not the right person to talk about this stuff, I did notice. So you and Nightmare got together -- what is the problem now?"  
"He's a robot, for god's sake!" Shanygn hissed. "I can't run around and declare love for a robot!"  
"Well, others do. Silhouette isn't a robot by birth and she fell in love with Roddy. Sphere is the same."  
"Yes, but .... they are robots now!"  
Shanygn nodded. "I know and I know it's hard, but it's hard on Nightmare as well. He misses you....."  
Mel shook her head. "But.... even if we were together.... how would it work? I'll die in a few more decades and that's it! For him I might just be a fuzzy memory! Shanygn, he is millions of years old!"  
"I know," the Interfaced woman said softly. "But you never know what the future will bring. I never knew I'd meet Roddy or Nick and now...."  
"But you are Interfaced! You are linked to the life of your partner, just like Nicholas is linked to his Interface partner as well. You can live all those millennia. You don't have to see a partner die!"  
Shanygn grimaced. "Uh, don't remind me of my age. I think I'm old already..." But there was a sparkle in her eyes. "I know you are right about the life span, but at least talk to him!"  
Melissa inhaled deeply. "All right," she whispered.  
Shanygn grinned. "Good girl."  
The younger woman stuck out her tongue.

* * *

Sparks sat on Megatron's desk, studying him. He tried to ignore her but in the end he gave an irritated growl and slammed the disks he had scanned through on the desk.  
"What?!"  
She tilted her head, still looking at him. "You did good," she finally said. "I'm proud of you."  
Megatron blinked, looking surprised. "Come again?"  
She smiled. "Optimus."  
Megatron gave her a strange look, then turned away with a, "I have no idea what you are talking about."  
Sparks jumped from the desk onto his lap and stood on her hind legs, paws on his chest. She looked him straight him into the optics.  
"You do. And I really am proud. You are behaving like a person, not some wossname."  
Megatron looked at her serious cat face, wondering how it was possible that this small creature seemed to know him so well, seemed to know every of his steps and words and all about his actions. His hand came up and Sparks gave it a critical look out of the corner of her eyes. Megatron gently stroked her fur and she shot him a surprised look.  
"I take that as a compliment coming out of your snout," he said, his voice only slightly sarcastic.  
Sparks snorted and settled down on his lap. Megatron gave her a queer look, then took her and put her on his shoulder. Sparks was even more surprised by this action, but she found a comfortable spot on the squarish, broad shoulder and settled down. Megatron started his work.

* * *

Nightmare looked down at the woman he loved and wished he could hug her, but he couldn't. Even if he were in robot mode there was a lot of danger for Mel. She was just too fragile compared to him. He simply lowered his horse-like head, snorting softly.  
"I missed you," he said calmly.  
Mel hesitated for a second, then wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his mane. "I missed you too."  
It tore through him and his most fervent wish was to take her into his arms, hold her, show her he would continue to love her, but he might never be able to do it.  
"Listen," Mel said softly. "What we shared... it was special and I will always treasure it, but I don't think we can continue it."  
Nightmare's head reared up. "Why?" he exclaimed.  
"Because... we're too different. I'm not talking about you being a giant robot and me being a small organic." She inhaled deeply. "It's about my life span and yours. You are ancient, Nightmare, and you will continue to live for another million while I will die of old age in a few decades." She swallowed painfully.  
Nightmare shook his head. "Please, MJ, no..... It's of no consequence!"  
"What will I be in a few millennia?" she asked provocatively. "A pile of dust, maybe, and just a fleeting memory for you!"  
Nightmare's eyes glowed in emotional pain. "No!"  
Mel faced him, tears gathering in her eyes. "But it's true! I'm a short-lived creature compared to you! It wouldn't work! I still want to be your friend, but ...."  
She turned away, shoulders shaking. Mel felt Nightmare's emotions, his confusion and pain, his hurt and disbelief. And his love.  
"I've to go," she whispered and started to run, leaving the former Decepticon behind, his emotions swamping over her like a tidal wave.

*

Nightmare was shaking and he had never felt like this before in all his long life. Sitting in a corner of the doorway chamber, legs drawn to his chest, arms wrapped around his knees, he was trying to straighten out the emotional turmoil inside of him. In his past he had never had either the drive nor the wish to find a partner. He had been created as an Assassin and had lived his life as such. There had been females under his command, but they had all been friends. After his rebirth as Gatekeeper he had spent his time alone on Crea, with only Bat as a companion, and he had never missed anything. Now..... He loved Mel, he really did, and it didn't matter to him if she was a human. It wasn't her body, it was her personality he loved. Someone sat down beside him and when he looked up, he met the yellow eyes of Raven.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, voice rough.  
Raven shrugged. "Just thought I might pop in. I think it was a good decision."  
Nightmare tried to get his mind straightened out. "I....."  
"Stop," Raven said and he stared at her in surprise. "I know what you want to say and it's not what I want to hear. What I want to hear is you telling me what you feel for her."  
"Who?" he asked weakly.  
"Please...." she said, voice pained. "Did you think I could miss it? We are partners!"  
Nightmare looked away.  
"You love her, Nightmare, and I think it's a beautiful thing."  
"No, it isn't," he rasped.  
"Why?"  
Nightmare's shoulder's shook. "We don't have a future, Raven, don't you see? She can't be a robot and I can't be human again!" Desperation was clearly audible in his voice.  
\-- But you can -- Ralyk's voice echoed through him.  
"What?" he asked, confused.  
\-- I can give you control of the process –  
\-- At least for a while --  
"Control?" Raven echoed, a smile on her lips. "You mean he could turn human again?"  
\-- Yes --  
\-- Like right now if you want to --  
\-- But I wouldn't advise it down here -- Ralyk sounded amused.  
"That's no joke, right?" Nightmare asked hoarsely.  
\-- I don't joke –  
"What means 'for a while'?" he wanted to know.  
\-- It means what it does --  
The Gatekeeper shakily got to his feet. "But it won't solve the problem," he said slowly. "Melissa ... she's human.... the time we have is limited and she doesn't want it to be this way."  
Ralyk seemed to smile.  
\-- Let me think about this --  
Nightmare felt even more confused. "What are you talking about?"  
Ralyk chuckled.  
\-- Exactly what I said --  
"If you want to change Mel into a robot...." Nightmare hissed, anger rising, "don't even think about it!"  
\-- I wouldn't dare --  
Nightmare really hoped so..... Mel wouldn't be happy as a robot, that he knew.

* * *

In another dimension, Spike Witwicky stopped in front of the office door, suddenly very much unsure of himself. He had debated with himself whether he could go through with what he needed to do or not. He squared his shoulders and drew a deep breath. He had to do it. He rang the door bell.  
The door opened and Spike was met by Rodimus' politely interested face, which turned into a mixture of slight panic, pain and anguish as he saw who was walking into his office.  
"Can we talk?" Spike asked, meeting the eyes of the Autobot who had been such a close friend to the Witwicky family in the past. Happy memories passed through his mind, of how Rodimus had always taken care of Daniel, had protected him ..... and he suddenly knew that even by ordering his death, Rodimus had done just that. He had helped and protected, releasing Daniel out of an alien hold, putting his body to rest.  
"Uhm," the young commander made. "Yes?"  
"About....what happened," Spike said softly. "About ... Daniel."  
Now the anguish was clearly visible. "I think we talked about it all in the past," Rodimus said hoarsely.  
Spike shook his head. "No. I shouted, I accused, I hurt..... we never talked." He looked at his trembling hands. "Now ... Rodimus, I never had the courage to face the truth," he said, his voice finding back to the usual firmness. "It needed a young woman to set my head and point me the right way."  
Rodimus rose from behind the desk. "Listen, ambassador...."  
Spike felt pain stab through him. Rodimus had not called him Spike since Daniel's death; he had switched to 'ambassador'. Now Spike shook his head.  
"No, Rodimus, no. I want to talk about it. We need to talk about. Please?"  
Rodimus hesitated and then nodded, sitting down again, clasping his hands. "All right," he said softly.  
Spike nodded and inhaled once more. Then he started to talk.

* * *

Mel had curled up the couch of her living room, her mind awirl, her face stained with tears. She had thought about the many possibilities open to her now, many of them ending with leaving Cybertron. She refused to leave, she was much too proud and she knew her abilities were valued and needed. But she had to find a way to solve her emotional problem with Nightmare. She'd always pick him up; she'd feel him.....  
\-- Just like you always felt him -- Ralyk whispered.  
Mel's head whipped up. "How....?"  
\-- I am everywhere --  
"Oh. Get out then."  
\-- No --  
"You are intruding," she growled.  
\-- Not really -- Ralyk sounded amused. Mel snorted, but the entity really withdrew. She could feel it.  
Suddenly she felt something else, someone in her room, someone she knew..... Mel jumped off the couch and whirled around, staring at who had silently come into her quarters. He moved as noiselessly as a human as he did in his robot body.  
"Hi, MJ...."  
"Nightmare?"  
"Yes."  
"But...."  
"Courtesy of Ralyk. I have control of the process now." He approached her, but Mel stepped back.  
"It doesn't change what will happen in the future," she whispered.  
"The future is very far away, MJ. I want to spend the Now with you." He looked very vulnerable all of a sudden. "Give us a chance, MJ, please? I love you!"  
She twisted her hands. "I love you too, but ..."  
Nightmare closed the distance between them and kissed her gently, as if testing how far he could go. Mel reacted to his kiss, letting his tongue explore her mouth. They kissed passionately for some time, then parted. Mel gasped for air.  
"Unfair," she breathed.  
"I was a Decepticon," he whispered. "We play unfair."  
She smiled shakily, trying to get herself under control. Nightmare simply embraced her, holding her tightly.

 

In his shell, Ralyk smiled with satisfaction, then dove into old the old files, searching for a way to help.


End file.
